


Reindeer Are Better Than People

by onlywordsnow



Series: Santa Claus is Coming to Purgatory [1]
Category: Wynonna Earp (TV)
Genre: AU, Alternate Universe, Christmas AU, Comedy, Emotions, F/F, Fluff, Friends to Lovers, M/M, Magic AU, Mystery, Non canon compliant, Reindeer, Revenants, Romance, Slow Burn, Soulmate AU, Supernatural - Freeform, Takes place after season 1, Talking, Tragedy, falling in love quickly, most events still happened except Nicole stuff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-08
Updated: 2020-01-03
Packaged: 2021-02-25 22:08:20
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 11
Words: 25,902
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21722743
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/onlywordsnow/pseuds/onlywordsnow
Summary: Nicole Haught’s plan is thrown for a loop when an accident lands her in Purgatory.  At least someone in the world is kind enough to give her hand.  But she’s leaving as soon as she can.
Relationships: Waverly Earp/Nicole Haught
Series: Santa Claus is Coming to Purgatory [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1667287
Comments: 45
Kudos: 289





	1. Purgatory

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Wayhaughtterthanthat](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Wayhaughtterthanthat/gifts).



> Hi there. I had a little bit of encouragement to write this when I made a few sarcastic comments about this and suddenly, boom, it was in production. It’ll be pretty short, but I really appreciate your feedback. Thanks for taking time out to read it.

_It’s burning up in this house_ , Nicole thinks.

The fire is going, catching in the wind and blowing every which way, and she’s pretty sure they have the heater on as well.She wants to shed a layer or two, abandon the Christmas sweater she decided to wear.It’s one of many that she has, deciding to forego the traditional costume and blend in a little bit better.

Hooves pound on the roof and she silently curses Vixen for being just that.She’s a rambunctious girl that sometimes likes to tread the line of getting caught.Nicole, however, doesn’t share the sentiment.As quickly as possible, she pulls the gifts out of her backpack and discards them under the tree for the family to find in the morning.

In the blink of an eye, she’s sneaking back outside and into the freezing air.She sucks in a fresh breath, taking in the silence of the night with the occasional interruption from Blitzen’s grunts.She’s all revved up and ready to go, as always.

“Cool your jets,” Nicole whisper yells, “I’m coming.”

She scales the house to the rooftop and Cupid’s eyes light upon seeing her.Nicole feels all warm inside, the love pouring out at the warm welcoming.Blitzen grunts again but there’s quickly an electrical charge erupting from Cupid and spreading throughout the group.

It’s suddenly like having 9 puppies realize she’s home and they get extremely excited.

They stomp in unison, Prancer making the least amount of noise.She’s close enough that Rudolph licks her face as she passes, but she pays him no mind.He’s the oddball of the group, antlers shed but still looking elegant as ever.

“Guys, guys,” she hums, settling her backpack into the seat of the sleigh before climbing in, “You act like it’s been more than five minutes.” 

Donder replies to this, a tune slipping out of her mouth like Nicole asked for input from the peanut gallery.

“I didn’t ask,” Nicole replies, grinning when Donder looks over her shoulder.Blitzen grunts again, her annoyance that they are still in one place creeping to the surface.Nicole sighs with equal dramatics and grabs the reigns.“Chill out, Blitz.We’re going soon.Just have to figure out where.”

Everyone has been testing her this evening except for Comet, who has been patient and kind as always.She knows they’re anxious.They spend all year gearing up for this one night.They really need to get out more, take a few joy rides just so the reindeer aren’t cooped up all year thinking about their one night a year job.

After a moment of browsing her phone, it becomes clearer where she’s headed next.With a pained sigh, she puts the phone away and looks up at the reindeer.She gives Comet a smile, but she blinks with concern at Nicole’s undoubtedly obvious demeanor.Nicole puts on a braver face, almost managing to convince Comet enough for her to face forward.

Blitzen grunts again while Vixen throws a hoof forward to kick Dasher in front of her.

“Hey,” Nicole warns, “Knock it off you guys.”

Dasher huffs as she glares at Vixen over her shoulder but listens to Nicole’s command anyway.Dasher is the leader when she needs to be, but always gives up the reign to Nicole.She’s the best listener a Santa could ask for.

“Alright, you know the drill,” Nicole murmurs, “And I am not singing the song, Donder.Off to Purgatory we go.”

After a beat of silence, Cupid looks back at her with a somewhat fearful expression.Nicole sighs and shakes her head.She says, “I know.I heard it.”

Dasher and Blitzen, saddled up right behind Rudolph, silently encourage him forward.He takes two swift steps forward before the pair brings the group into the air and drags the sleigh along with it.It takes a moment for them to find their stride, but Comet ultimately coaxes them to all get along and find their groove.

When Nicole glances at her phone to be absolutely certain they are following the correct flight path, she notes they are entering the outer counties of Purgatory.They’re within 25 miles when the air thickens.It tastes stale on her tongue and feels heavy on her skin, a certain heat biting around the cold as they navigate through the air.

It makes her feel anxious.

Hell, it even makes her shiver.

_I’m not even cold_ , Nicole thinks.

Still, they cut through the thick air towards their destination.As if they can read her mind, the reindeer go full speed ahead.She hardly has to tug the reins to indicate a turn they’re so intuitive.They expertly lower themselves towards the ground, the descent a smooth ride approaching open land.

The town seems loud and only growing louder.An overwhelming presence seems to loom around them until suddenly the sound of footsteps crunch snow.Nicole reacts, tugging on the reins and instructing them to pull up again with practiced ease.They all react rather quickly, but not quick enough.

The sound of multiple guns go off from every direction and Nicole ducks beneath the edge of the sleigh for cover.Her heart beats in her chest so rapidly that she’s pretty sure It’s going to beat right out of it, and she feels the sleigh slam into the ground.The noise around them dissipates except for the sound of Blitzen snorting in annoyance.

Sitting up, she peeks over the railing and looks at her mighty reindeer in front of her.She sighs in relief as she looks over the girls and Rudolph.Shivering again, she swallows thickly at the stale air.This town does not make her feel very jolly, that’s for sure.

“Ok, we’re ok,” Nicole murmurs.Cupid looks back at her, concern filling her eyes.It makes Nicole’s heart clench.Sometimes it’s really difficult to be around Cupid, looking at her with love overflowing.She wishes she could see herself through their eyes.“We’re ok.”

Repeating it doesn’t do much to calm her nerves.Blitzen looks over her shoulder and snorts again, clearly annoyed.Nicole can almost see the anxiety spreading throughout the group and her instincts kick in.She has to calm them.It’s her job to be the leader.

“Comet, help me out,” Nicole whispers loudly.Comet and Cupid are positioned closest to her, both there for moral support more than to do the heavy lifting.It took many different arrangements before she found the right fit for her.A lesson she was taught at a very young age.Every one is different.“Use that charm, kid.”

Suddenly, voices echo across the open plain and stick into the packed snow.Nicole’s heart beats faster in her chest, almost painfully, and she tugs on the reins in her grasp.Her mind starts racing a million miles a minute as she formulates an explanation, but she might actually just be having a panic attack instead.The noises around her make her feel like she’s in a fishbowl, an echo that’s only getting louder and louder.It renders her immobile and, for once, she wishes that someone else would take control.

“Stop right there, Jackass!”

Nicole stills in her movements, honestly terrified that perhaps that tiny voice is speaking to her.Nothing in her training told her what to do when caught in the crossfire, let alone when someone is chasing her down.She holds her breath, silently wishing that one of her magical powers was invisibility.That would truly make everything so much easier.

“Make me,” comes a rather deep growl.

It startles Nicole, especially when there’s a red glow in the darkened distance.It’s intense enough that even Vixen bellows loudly, making the glowing red move much quicker in their direction.Shushing the reindeer doesn’t seem to do anything but rile them up more.Prancer pops back on her hind hooves, baring her underside and snorting loudly.

There’s a snarling sound that chills her to her core, sending her in a daze of being off kilter.She doesn’t know how to react and her initial thought is to get the hell out of this place, but she can’t really do anything.She’s absolutely frozen in her spot, hands clenched tightly around the leather reins.It’s keeping her grounded.Somewhat.

With a deep sigh, she tugs on the reins tight enough that it pulls the reindeer to attention.In a futile attempt to collect her nerves, she swallows and closes her eyes. Typically, she can feel a shift in the air as the sleigh lifts from the ground, but it doesn’t seem to be moving.

“Please,” Nicole begs, voice sounding shaky even to her, “We need to get out of here.”

Donder verbalizes her agreement but no one else seems to react.In fact, everyone else seems to be frozen in fear.Even Nicole can’t move as a rather large, burly and unkempt man steps into the moonlight.She shivers again, totally and completely still unable to feel the cold.She locks eyes with the red eyed man and stills in her movements.Maybe if they’re all completely still then the scary man will mistake her for a decoration.

Blitzen snorts.The man growls and immediately heads for them.She doesn’t really know what’s happening, what this particular being is.She knows many myths, many bouts of folklore, but this truly isn’t one of them.Her brain can’t even processwhat she’s seeing.Especially because at one point her family was the only source of magic in the universe.That she knew of anyway.She learned most things at secular school, and never knew what was real regarding stories told by her family members.

“Perfect,” the man growls as his sights seem to settle on her.She tries to remember a few protection moves she learned in that self-defense class a few years ago, but she can’t.She can’t even remember her own name.“These bitches are trying to kill me.”

Nicole narrows her gaze at this man.She doesn’t recognize him, have any idea who he is, or even what he is.All she knows is that she doesn’t want any part of this.

“I was just leaving,” Nicole replies.

“No you don’t,” the man says.

He makes a move for her but the reindeer seem to distract him with their huffing and puffing.She looks up in time to see Cupid’s face, eyes soft and filled with concern.Nicole shakes her head gently, trying to ward off any negative emotion.She stands up straight, refusing to back down.He’s within arms length now and it leaves Nicole unsettled.She doesn’t entirely know how to deal with this situation.

“Wait right there,” Nicole says firmly.

“Don’t move!” A tiny voice shouts in response.It seems to takes control of the situation and doesn’t leave Nicole much room to protest.All she can is exactly as told.Especially when she locks eyes with the gorgeous woman.Boy, this town is filled with people Nicole knows nothing about.“Not you.You!”

The woman points a shotgun at the man with glowing, red eyes but he doesn’t seem to flinch.All of the reindeer become incredibly restless at the situation, raring back and making as much noise as possible.She just wants to calm them.

“You think you can do anything to me, little girl?” The guy snarls, “You’re not the heir.”

“So what?” The woman says, hardly backing down, “I can still give you a world of pain.”

“What the hell is going on here?” Nicole murmurs, looking between the two.

The man looks at her sharply.She recoils slightly but stays on her feet.She steps out of the sleigh and move around it, putting a little bit of space between her and the man.He follows her slowly and he lunges for her, but the movement is halted before he gets close.It all happens so fast.Cupid nips at his ribcage and man reacts in an instant, digging his unnaturally long nails into her leg and cutting her open.

Nicole watches in pure horror as it all happens quickly.Suddenly a shot is fired and goes into the man’s knee, dropping him to the ground.He writhes in pain as he retracts his nails, covering his wound with both hands.He looks passed Nicole and at the woman behind her before he stands up and limps away into the darkness.

“Is she ok?” The woman asks in a rush, coming up beside her and settling her gun on the ground.She frantically looks over the wound, reacting much quicker than Nicole.

“How did she know she’s a girl?” Nicole murmurs slowly as she crouches down to look at Cupid’s injury.

“Female caribou don’t shed their antlers,” the woman replies, “This looks really bad.I’m gonna call a friend to come and check her out.”

“Uh, I don’t really think that’s-“ Nicole starts, but stops talking as the woman steps away while digging out her cellphone.She sighs as she lets her legs sink into the snow, her pants soaking it up.“Hang in there, girl.”

She runs her hands over her coat without touching the area like healing with her hands is one of her magical powers.She would trade every thing she has right now to stop Cupid’s groaning and make her all better again.The rest of the reindeer are freaking out, worry spreading throughout the group.

The woman returns with a tight smile, saying, “My friend will be right over.Is everyone else ok?”

“Freaked out,” Nicole replies.It gets silent as Nicole looks pleadingly at Comet, asking her to please just help calm everyone for the time being.She needs help.She shifts her gaze towards the woman and looks up at her.“I’m Nicole, by the way.”

“Waverly Earp,” the woman replies.The name sounds familiar, but Nicole doesn’t remember ever hearing that particular name.And she’s heard of everyone.

The mystery of it all intrigues her.

Waverly’s friend Robin arrives in 20 minutes or possibly less.Robin Jett is a good guy.He always has been.As Nicole knows him, and him she does know, he’s always had a heart of gold despite not always having people be particularly nice to him.Especially after he came out his senior year of high school.

Nicole silently offers him an empathy that those before her never had.She feels for him, even knows in some parts what he has gone through.Although her family had been more accepting than most, her classmates had been less than understanding.At least she had some support from her parents.That is, until they, you know...

So, when a good man like Robin Jett looks over her trusty reindeer, she trusts that he’s doing the right thing.Even though she senses he’s a little skeptical at the scene before him.Waverly simply requests that he doesn’t ask questions he doesn’t actually want the answers to.So he doesn’t.He just looks over Cupid and doesn’t try to read too much into it. 

“She’s in a lot of pain,” Robin says softly, “I’m giving her something for it, but she can’t travel.”

“We have to,” Nicole replies.Her heart aches at the sight, knowing that she can’t personally do anything to heal Cupid.She looks at Robin with, undoubtedly, a pleading gaze.“Please.Make her travel ready.” 

“I’m sorry,” he says, sincere and kind, “There just isn’t any way. She’s on some pretty heavy medication and she needs rest for a speedy recovery.”

“Damn it,” Nicole murmurs.

“I can keep an eye on her,” Waverly offers.

Nicole can’t help but look at this mysterious woman suspiciously.It isn’t that she looks anything less than trustworthy. It’s just that she doesn’t know the woman, can’t sense her heart, and that’s a hell of a rarity for Nicole.

“I have a barn where she’ll be safe and land where she’ll be free from harm,” Waverly tries again.

Nicole looks deep into those bluish orbs of Waverly’s and tries to read for any sign of ill intentions.All she sees a purity of true goodness much unlike anything else Nicole has ever seen before.She relents and says, “Ok.How do we transport her?”

“I brought my trailer just in case,” Robin says, “We just need to move her.Do you know how much she’s weighs?”

“About three-eighty.Not where I’d like her to be,” Nicole admits, “Just sometimes she gives me the heart eyes and I can’t make her do anything she doesn’t want to do.”

Cupid is pure love and warmth so it isn’t any surprise to Nicole that her out of all of them sacrificed herself to protect her.It still pangs her that this happened.Maybe if she had ignored the call to come to Purgatory as she was warned, as those before her had, this could have been avoided.Despite her desire to call this place pure evil, she knows it isn’t true.Not with people like Robin Jett and the somewhat ethereal Waverly Earp.

It hits her like a ton of bricks and sends a shooting pain through her skull.Everything about this woman comes flooding to the forefront.Her mother, her sisters, even her true father, all build a case on her behalf.The woman appears somewhat ethereal because she  is ethereal, part angel who truly shouldn’t exist but she does.Her beauty from the inside only makes that on the outside so much more.

“I’m sure the three of us can move her,” Waverly says reassuringly.

Begrudgingly, Nicole unhooks Cupid from the group.Since Robin’s arrival they’ve been so peaceful and at ease, despite the worry clear in their eyes.It takes a few tries, but they manage to get Cupid’s dead weight, knocked out from the medication, onto the trailer.

Once they have her buckled in, Nicole returns to her sleigh and starts moving her remaining reindeer around so they can complete their journey.She hates the idea of leaving Cupid behind, but she knows that she has to so she can get the job done.Hell, she only has to do the job one night a year and she can’t stand the idea of not successfully completing it.

“Follow me?” Waverly asks Nicole and Robin.

Nicole gives a firm nod after moving Vixen beside Comet in Cupid’s place and puts Rudolph in Vixen’s.The group doesn’t even look as put together as normal, but at least they all seem to get it.Nicole falls in line at the back of the vehicle train, a mediocre drive towards the outskirts of town.They don’t go very quickly due to the snow.At least she assumes so.The sleigh is well equipped for such conditions but she’s sure that no vehicle can truly be as well off.

At a certain point, Nicole feels a shift in the atmosphere.The air is lighter and doesn’t seem to have as much negativity in it as the rest of town.Eventually, a sign comes into view that says  Earp  etched into the wood and as they get closer, Nicole notices a lone light between a small house and an even smaller barn.There’s a Ford truck parked outside and right next to it is where Waverly parks her Jeep.Robin pulls his truck and trailer up to the barn and she halts the sleigh, getting out of it to help him move Cupid into the barn.

Wordlessly, the 3 of them maneuver her.Once they have her settled in the barn, Nicole realizes how tired her arms are, how tired she is.She hasn’t even made it all of the way through her task and her energy is waning.She just has to make it 8 more hours.

Robin leaves with a warm smile and tells Waverly to call him if they run into any problems.Nicole feels like a bystander, her eyes stuck on Cupid.When his truck and trailer pull away entirely, a shiver skates down her spine at the thought of leaving.Cupid would want her to go, to spread joy and love to those who need her.

She swallows the lump in her throat as she turns to Waverly who is letting her have her moment with Cupid.She’s standing at the entrance of the barn, watching on with concern.Nicole squints looking at her as she can’t help seeing a faint glow around the woman.

“I really don’t want to leave her,” Nicole says.

“She’s safe here,” Waverly says, “Trust me.”

Nicole gives her a look, she knows.One that says she’s pretty annoyed at the idea of trusting a mere mortal.But this woman isn’t a mere mortal.She’s actually undoubtedly ethereal.For the briefest of moments, Nicole wonders if she even knows it.

“That’s kinda difficult considering you were chasing a man with red, glowing eyes,” Nicole says.

“It’s not like we’re friends or anything,” Waverly says, scoffing, “I was chasing him with a shotgun.I think if that says anything, it’s that he isn’t my friend.”

“Why were you chasing him with a shotgun anyway?” Nicole asks.Waverly at least blushes at this.Despite how enticingly cute the woman is, Nicole doesn’t have time to stand around and flirt.She sighs, tired and annoyed.“You know what?I don’t have time for that explanation.I have a pretty strict deadline.”

“I would really argue that you look exhausted and should probably get some sleep if I thought you would listen,” Waverly replies.

Nicole can’t help smiling at how thoughtful Waverly is.They don’t know each other, yet she’s showing concerned at Nicole’s exhaustion.She says, “I’m coming right back.We...we’re coming right back.”

“I’ll take good care of her,” Waverly says, convincingly, “Is there anything I need to know about her?”

“Uh, yeah,” Nicole says slowly, hesitant to let someone into their world, “She’s a sweetheart, ok?She likes to cuddle and she really doesn’t know how big she is.But, I’ll be back in no time.She’ll probably still be asleep.”

“Just in case,” Waverly says, “What do I feed her?”

“She likes carrots,” Nicole says softly, but it echoes around the barn anyway.Waverly looks at her curiously and Nicole can’t help sighing with her entire body.If she could just stay she would.“If she wakes up, tell her I’m coming back for her.”

“And what do I do if she like...freaks out?” Waverly asks.

Nicole senses the woman’s fear.She understands.Cupid is much larger than her, but she’s a sweetheart.She wouldn’t hurt a living soul.Except maybe someone trying to hurt Nicole.

“She likes ABBA,” Nicole replies, “Play it for her and she’ll be as sweet as can be.”

“ABBA, got it,” Waverly murmurs.Nicole steps away but keeps her lingering glance on Cupid as she heads towards the door.She slips past Waverly and turns her gaze to the remaining 8, eager and worried much like herself.“I’ll take care of her.I promise.”

Nicole climbs into her sleigh and looks back at Waverly, giving her a nod.Despite Waverly’s kind smile, she still feels dread settle in the air around her.She reaches for the reins and looks away, tugging on them so quickly that she’s surprised the reindeer lift into the air without some casual conversation or words of affirmation.

Perhaps they too are eager to return. 


	2. Cupid

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nicole returns to Purgatory and gets a whole whirlwind of emotions

The day Cupid was born it was no question which role she was going to play to Santa.She was filled with love and joy and everyone instantly felt her warmth whenever in her presence.As she grew up, it only got stronger.It’s almost like she has a super power.Sometimes Nicole is envious by how she openly loves, how she trusts people implicitly and always sees the best in people.Nicole has seen her bring people together, has seen her fester love where it wasn’t before.

She loves spreading the love so much that she encourages contact, hugs and kisses.She’s a great listener and always makes everyone feel welcome.Sometimes she even keeps Nicole going when she feels down.

The last 8 hours of deliveries without Cupid by her side is rather difficult.As a group, they all feel like something is missing.Or that’s what Nicole thinks, at least, if the silence and stoic looks on each of their faces mean anything.

By the time they return to Purgatory and Earp land the sun is already up and shining bright.Exhaustion has settled even deeper into her bones and she’s pretty sure that her companions feel the same way.As she climbs out of the sleigh, she runs a hand over Vixen’s fur, then Prancer’s, then Rudolph’s and finally Dasher’s.As she gets to the front, she takes a glance over each of them.Blitzen snorts, frustrated about all of her energy resting beneath the surface.

“I know, Blitz,” Nicole murmurs.She steps forward and rubs her between the eyes, palm trailing all of the way down to her nose.Blitzen moves her head in return, appreciating Nicole’s scratches.“Let me get this figured out and I’ll let you go for a run.”

Blitzen snorts again as her eyes drift closed.She leans into Nicole’s hand more, seeming to enjoy this bit of affection.Blitzen isn’t normally so affectionate, but she supposed they’re all feeling rather vulnerable.

Nicole sighs and says, “Hang tight, ok?I’ll be right back.”

Her fingers linger on Blitzen’s nose as she slinks off, heading towards the barn.She casts a warning glance at her companions over her shoulder before entering the building.It’s warmer inside, away from the cold wind biting at her.As she enters, she sees Waverly leaning against a stack of hay bales and looking over Cupid.The sight tugs on Nicole’s heart strings.

The disturbance of the barn door opening seems to take Waverly by surprise.It’s nearly 1 o’clock in the afternoon now and the woman looks as though she hasn’t slept a wink.Nicole feels guilty for being so serious about this guardian task she gave her, especially because she has never even done anything for Waverly.

Despite that, Waverly gives her a tired smile at the interruption before whispering quite loudly, “Hey.She’s still sleeping, but she finally stopped bleeding.”

“That’s...” Nicole trails off, swallowing as she racks her brain, “Something.”

Looking down at Waverly’s hands, she notes that she’s holding a baggie of baby carrots like she’s prepared for Cupid to wake up.As much as Nicole wishes that were true, she hopes that Cupid can sleep through the pain.She hates seeing her like this.

“Robin’s gonna come by later this atternoon to look her over,” Waverly says.

Nicole watches as she stands up slowly and pulls her jacket tighter around herself.Waverly’s smile isn’t as big as it could be.Nicole says, “I’m sorry to ruin your Christmas.”

“You didn’t,” Waverly protests rather quickly, “We don’t have much Christmas spirit around here right now.”

“Much different than I’m used to,” Nicole admits, chuckling quietly.

“What about you?What do you usually do for Christmas?” Waverly asks.

“Christmas Day is a day of rest,” Nicole says, tone a teasing one despite being very serious.

Waverly laughs politely.The sound echoes around the barn as her gaze drops away from Nicole’s.She feels her heart constrict tightly, more tightly than the time she had her first kiss.She can’t help staring at the woman in front of her like she holds the world’s secrets, and perhaps maybe she does.Nicole can’t help tracing the soft glow that encompasses the woman and committing it to memory.At least she’ll get to go back home and tell people she saw a real angel.

“Did you want to...” Waverly starts, sighing softly as she looks back up at Nicole, “Would you like to come inside?”

“Uh,” Nicole says, hesitating for so long that she’s pretty sure her answer is obvious, “I think I should stay here with her.But I really appreciate the offer.”

“Well, let me get you some blankets,” Waverly says, stepping around Nicole while muttering, “It’s freezing in here.”

Nicole laughs at that.She can’t feel how cold it is.Her body always runs hot, but she will take Waverly’s word for it.Especially because she’s being kind to a stranger for no reason.

“Thank you,” Nicole tells her with a smile.

Waverly leaves the barn to run into the house.Nicole uses this time to wander over towards Cupid and gives her a once over.She at least seems peaceful.Lowering herself to the ground by Cupid’s head, she runs her fingers along her snout before moving her hand to pet a little softer.

After a few minutes of silence, Waverly returns with a few blankets.Nicole politely takes them and settles back into her spot beside Cupid.Waverly leaves again, letting her revel in her exhaustion.It doesn’t take long for her to fall asleep.

She’s woken up by the sound of the barn door opening.As she peels her eyes open, she’s consumed by guilt at having left the rest of her reindeer unattended.She checks her watch for the time and finds that she’s been asleep for nearly 3 hours.That’s 3 hours they’ve been waiting.But she fights a yawn as the light in the barn shifts.She pushes herself to her feet and stretches as Waverly and Robin get closer. 

“Merry Christmas,” Robin greets cheerily.

“Merry Christmas to you,” Nicole replies.She offers him a smile, wishing that she had more cheer to give in return.It’s been an exhausting 48 hours coupled with fear that Cupid will have difficulty recovering.“Thanks for coming to check on her.I hope it didn’t ruin your festivities.”

“Honestly,” Robin starts, getting right to it and leaning down to look at Cupid’s wound, “The holidays with my family are always tense.I needed an excuse to get out of the house.”

Nicole nods in understanding.As much as she can understand due to her emphatic abilities.Sometimes when people she’s around feel so intensely about things she feels it too.It’s always been a blessing and a curse of sorts.

“How’s that going anyway?” Nicole asks.She glances over his shoulder at Cupid.She seems to be stirring about as he feels around at the area, her eyes opening and closing slowly.She seems pretty drowsy, if awake at all.“Your Uncle Edward laying off?”

“Yeah, he’s been pretty quiet this year,” Robin replies, obviously not fully paying attention to her, “I brought some cream to apply to the wounds.She’ll need it once a day, preferably around the same time.And I brought some pills you’ll need to give her for inflammation.Twice daily with food.She’s looking a bit rough, but I think if you let her rest she will have a full recovery.”

“Any idea how long that might take?” Nicole ventures.

“Two to three weeks,” Robin tells her.

Nicole can’t help audibly sighing with disappointment.They’ve all been traveling for far too long and she wishes more than anything that they can return home, that all of them take a rest together.She can’t help feeling like Cupid will make a quicker recovery if she were at home, sleeping in her own space.

“Thanks, Robin,” Waverly chimes in.She steps forward and makes her presence more known to Nicole.At first, she had played it safe and given them space, but Nicole certainly appreciates a little assistance.“I think we’ve got it from here if you want to head back home.”

“Do you have a minute?” Robin says, looking directly at Waverly, “To talk outside?”

“Sure,” Waverly replies, with a small nod.

Nicole feels a light pressure on her shoulder and when she turns her head she sees that Waverly is touching her with the gentlest bit of reassurance.It almost works, prompting a genuine smile from Nicole.As the pair leave the barn, Nicole hears a chorus of grunts and snorts erupt outside.God, they much be exhausted and hungry.

It’s a quiet few minutes as they settle down outside, but it still leaves Nicole riddled with guilt.By this time they would usually be all warm and cozy back home, bellies filled with fruits and vegetables.She’s fairly certain they’ve got to be hungry enough they would even go for some lichen.Nicole’s stomach rumbles despite a long 40+ hours of cookies, milk, and the occasional nontraditional snack left out.What she wouldn’t give for something much healthier, like a banana and some water.

Cupid groans softly as she moves, her legs shaky until she gives up.All Nicole can really do at this point is give her room to heal and keep her comfortable.As the loving companion slowly opens her eyes, the orbs of love shine through.She looks at Nicole with concern and kindness, a worry seeping through the cracks as though she’s wordlessly asking if Nicole is ok. 

“I’m fine,” Nicole says, barely above a whisper as she crouches down beside Cupid and places a hand between her eyes, “Not a scratch on me.”

Cupid blinks slowly, as though she understands what Nicole is saying.The possibility makes Nicole smile.She adds, “Thanks, by the way.You’re my hero.”

It’s silent for a moment before it dawns on Nicole that Cupid might be hungry, too.After all, she was part of the brigade that did most of the heavy lifting.Nicole had simply steered them.

“I have your favorite,” Nicole murmurs.She lets herself sink to the ground as she reaches over the baggie of carrots and plucks one out.She holds it to Cupid’s mouth.She hears sniffing before Cupid takes the food between her teeth and chomps down.Nicole smiles sadly at the state of Cupid, but extends her legs to bracket her a bit.“Good?”

Cupid snorts and nuzzles Nicole’s hand.Nicole stretches, feeling the exhaustion in her muscles and joints.She could use a hot bath and a good night of sleep, but that doesn’t seem like it’s going to be an option in the near future.

As she offers another carrot to Cupid, she hears scuffing behind her.She glances over her shoulder to see Waverly returning, hugging herself tightly for warmth.Nicole absently wonders what it’s like to be cold, how would she fare?Warmth spreads throughout at the thought and she briefly wishes she could give the freezing woman some of it.

“Robin gave me some medicine,” Waverly tells her.She extends it out to Nicole and when their fingers brush as Nicole reaches for it she feels just how cold Waverly’s hands really are.Waverly crouches down beside her, legs split apart for balance, and the muscles in her thighs stretching.Nicole practically gulps are the sight.

“Thanks,” Nicole musters.Cupid hits her hand hard enough that her gaze flirts rather quickly, concern clenching her chest.When she makes eye contact with Cupid she simply rolls her eyes at the realization that she is very obviously trying to suggest that she is attracted to Waverly.So what?She’s still somewhat human.She murmurs, “No.Stop it.”

Cupid snorts in response as she bats her lashes when she looks at Waverly.Nicole’s mouth drops open at the action.Cupid isn’t normally so charming.That’s more Comet’s area of expertise.She shakes her head in disbelief.

“You wish,” Nicole tells Cupid.

Cupid moves at this, doing her best to balance her weight on her front, right hoof but waning.Instead, she crawls closer to Waverly and nudges her with an antler.It’s gentle and smooth, enough that Waverly giggles softly.It sounds like music to Nicole’s ears.A sound that only the heavens can provide.

“Oh,” Waverly hums, “You really are sweet.”

“Here,” Nicole says, lifting the bag of carrots towards Waverly, “Give her these.She’ll love you forever.”

Nicole watches as Waverly takes a carrot from the baggie and offers it to Cupid.She’s sweet as she takes it from Waverly’s hand, gentle and warm like she doesn’t want to scare her.Nicole notices the way Waverly keeps her palm flat and fingers out of the way.She wonders if she has any experience with horses.

“I love her already,” Waverly says softly.

“Seems she loves you, too,” Nicole replies, “And she doesn’t like just anyone.”

“Now, that, I find hard to believe,” Waverly says.Cupid licks Waverly in response.She’s probably right.Cupid is a lover through and through, only truly avoiding someone who is clearly bad news.Nicole can’t help smirking at the sight of Cupid licking Waverly.“Want some more carrots?”

They take turns offering Cupid some carrots for a bit before Nicole sighs.She’s ready to give up for the day.She gets to her feet and stretches with her arms high above her head.

“I’m gonna go check on the others,” Nicole announces, “You ok here?”

“Peachy,” Waverly says with a bright smile.

Waverly doesn’t hold the gaze, but Nicole’s lingers.She watches Waverly gently stroke Cupid’s face near her antlers for a silent minute before she exits the barn.She’s met with tired looking faces that immediately light up when their eyes settle on her.She manages an apologetic smile.

“I’m sorry, guys,” Nicole says, “You must be starving.”

Nicole makes a move for her backpack, wishing beyond all hope that she’ll be able to pull some magic out of it.Once she opens it, she sees a few apples rolling around at the bottom.With a heavy sigh, she ignores her own growling stomach and splits them among the reindeer.As she steps away, Blitzen snorts.The guilt immediately consumes her and she turns back to her.

“I know, buddy,” Nicole hums, “Let me get everything figured out and I’ll let you stretch your legs.”

Donder snorts in agreement.Vixen kicks Dancer.They start bellowing at each other.Nicole feels sadness in her chest.

“Come on, guys,” Nicole says, tired, “Be patient.Please.”

Dasher steps as close to her as she can, nuzzling Nicole gentle.She must sense the way Nicole is unsettled, drowning in worry and exhaustion.So far, the most relief she feels is when Waverly smiles.

_ Great _ , Nicole thinks.

By the time she makes it back into the barn Cupid is back to sleep.The sun is beginning to set.Waverly glows beneath the overhead light of the barn and all of Nicole’s exhaustion makes her brain to mouth filter burn away.

“Wow,” Nicole breathes into the hollows of her throat.

“Everything ok?” Waverly calls out.Cupid has her head against Waverly’s thighs, antlers gently pushing against the woman’s hip.Waverly carefully starts moving Cupid off of her lap so she can move.

“Yeah,” Nicole says with a light shake of her head, “Just a little restless.Nothing we can’t handle.”

“Can I get them anything?” Waverly asks, standing from her spot beside Cupid.

Nicole watches as Waverly dusts herself off, not quite getting any of the spots that might actually be dirty.Scratching the back of her neck, she ponders an answer to the question.There’s a lot they need - food and water, warmth and cover.She hates to ask someone for help, especially someone she can’t exactly give anything in return to.

Nicole knows that inside of that house there’s a plethora of emotions rolling around.It’s all sadness and anger and wanton confusion.It’s possible that Waverly just wants a break from it all.It does seem like a lot to have all at once.

“I don’t want to inconvenience you,” Nicole says, “Do you mind if I bring them in?”

“No, of course not,” Waverly answers.

Waverly helps her unhook them from the sleigh and lead them into the barn one by one.They each take a lingering look at Cupid before finally allowing themselves to be tucked away in an opposite corner.They finally all get settled, Blitzen still snorting with her pent up energy.

“Are you sure you don’t want to come inside?” Waverly asks from the doorway of the barn.

“I think I’d like to stay with them,” Nicole says, “In case they need anything.”

Waverly gives a nod of understanding before leaving them alone in the barn.Nicole settles into the pile of blankets on a makeshift cot.Exhaustion leads her into sleep and she has no choice but to follow. 


	3. Blitzen

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Purgatory is a hot bed for the supernatural. Nicole is no exception.

Nicole’s eyes flutter open to the sound of Blitzen snorting, loudly, and Vixen trying to rile the group up. If she’s being honest, she doesn’t know how to handle any bad behavior. She’s like the cool, fun mom and doesn’t know how to scold them. They normally don’t need scolding anyhow, seeing that their personalities are basically exactly that which Nicole was taught to expect them to be. Save for a slight difference here and there.

Nicole shivers from the cold and for a brief moment she wonders what the hell is happening to her. She never gets cold. Maybe this town is sucking the life out of her.

With a rather dramatic yawn, she stretches and stands from her pile of blankets. She takes a glance at Cupid who is still fast asleep, but now Comet is laying nose to nose with her. For a brief moment, Nicole really feels an ache in her stomach at how difficult this must be for all of them.

Blitzen snorts again, effectively getting her attention. Now that Vixen realizes that Nicole’s awake, she seems to settle down and pretend like she hasn’t spent god knows how long being mischievous. She shoots Vixen a warning look and she lays down, immediately leaning back against Dasher. Playfully, Dasher throws herself onto her side and kicks at Vixen’s back.

Blitzen pushes up to her feet and moves across the barn towards Nicole. Nicole can tell she’s holding back when she lightly nudges at her hand rather than snorting in her face. Laughing softly, Nicole says, “Ok, ok. I’ll let you go for a run, but no flying.”

Blitzen does a happy snort in response.

“Anyone else?” Nicole asks as they head towards the barn door. Dancer and Comet lift their heads but don’t make a move to follow. Nicole says and casts each of them a coy glance. She says, “Ok, suit yourself.”

When she pushes the door open she’s nearly blinded by the sun. Blitzen blinks a few times, looking out across the brilliant white snow like she’s gauging everything around them. It’s a lot more open land than at the North Pole, not a disturbance in their view until it hits the mountains.

Blitzen snorts and scans for a good minute until she takes off in a run. Although she’s always been the most athletic of the group, she doesn’t usually have a partner. Unless Vixen is wired and looking for a fun game of tag. On occasion, the two knock their antlers together and wrestle until Vixen gets bored and Blitzen runs the rest of her energy off.

Nicole wanders over towards her sleigh and leans against it, watching Blitzen run as fast as she can about a hundred yards away before turning and running back at full speed. Nicole turns and watches her as she gets closer to the house, surprise pinching her features as she sees someone approaching. Blitzen trots beside the figure until Nicole blinks the sleep out of her eyes and realizes it’s Waverly. Not that she isn’t thrilled to see the tiny, angelic being, she was just hoping to see Wynonna.

She’s sensed all of the turmoil present, been able to feel so much heartache on the land that she can barely breathe. Some of it is her own due to Cupid’s injuries, some of it the concern from her other companions, but the rest is all coming from Wynonna just inside of the house. Nicole knows she’s been doing better since coming back, that she had made progress and found love and loyalty, but everything that’s happened lately has hit her hard. It resonates deep inside of Nicole.

“Morning,” Waverly murmurs as she gets closer.

Blitzen takes off into a sprint, kicking up snow behind her that splatters against Nicole’s jeans. She smiles and shakes her head, never actually looking away from everything. She says, “Morning.”

“How’d you sleep?” Waverly asks. Nicole notices a steaming mug in her hands, perched between her palms like it’s her source of warmth. She remembers that icicle like fingers. She’s pretty sure it is her only source of warmth.

“I slept,” Nicole answers with a noncommittal shrug. She tucks her hands into her pockets and desperately wishes she had a shower to rinse herself off with. She certainly couldn’t intrude and take advantage of the kindness of a stranger. “How about you? How was your evening?”

“Better,” Waverly admits, “Little difficult to explain the sleigh in my front yard though.”

“Magic?” Nicole says, wiggling her eyebrows.

Waverly laughs and looks down at the cup in her hands. Just as quickly, she looks up and her smile is more sheepish. She says, “I brought you coffee.”

“That’s for me?” Nicole asks. She feels foolish, like her voice is a mixture of dreamy and surprised. She shakes her head gently and says, “You really shouldn’t have.”

“I can’t have you thinking I’m a terrible host,” Waverly says, “Really. I insist.”

“Well, ok,” Nicole relents. Reluctantly, she takes the mug from Waverly’s hands and she immediately stuffs them into her pockets. Blitzen runs passed them again but turns quickly like she’s rounding a barrel and running back out the length of a football field again. Nicole watches her for a minute and sips on the extremely hot coffee before turning back to Waverly. “So, uh, what the hell was that thing?”

“Isn’t people, like, your thing?” Waverly retorts with a playful tug of her lips.

“Ah,” Nicole hums and takes another drink. For a little while she had thought that perhaps Waverly didn’t really buy into this whole thing. She lifts an eyebrow at Waverly while looking at her over her mug. She swallows a drink and lowers the mug. “That thing was _not_ human, and my thing is humans.”

“He used to be human,” Waverly tells her.

“Once they die, they’re not my problem,” Nicole replies.

“He’s undead,” Waverly corrects cheekily.

“Still not my problem,” Nicole says with a shrug. They stand in silence for a moment. Nicole takes a moment to glance around and notices Donder and Prancer poking their heads out of the barn. They’re watching Blitzen for a moment before they look over at Nicole. She sighs heavily. “That doesn’t exactly explain what you were doing out there chasing that undead thing by yourself.”

“I was trying to slow him down,” Waverly says.

“I feel like I’m missing something,” Nicole mumbles.

“Purgatory is like a hot bed for the supernatural,” Waverly explains.

“That explains why you’re so calm about me,” Nicole says.

“Are you sure you don’t want to come inside?” Waverly asks, “Get some food. Take a shower.”

“I get the sense that now really isn’t a good time for your sister to meet new people,” Nicole says.

She feels like she can’t look Waverly in the eye, like she’s too far deep into a private moment and there isn’t any way she can get out of it. Truthfully though, she can’t pretend like she’s someone she isn’t. It wouldn’t be fair to Waverly after she’s been so kind.

“I don’t want to be rude,” Nicole says, taking a step closer to Waverly so she can silently ask her to just look up at her, “I just also don’t want to intrude.”

“Why don’t you just come inside and take a shower?” Waverly says, more forceful this time, “Once you’re cleaned up, we can head into town and get some food for you, for the kids. A few shops should be open today. Unfortunately, the meat market is closed, so those options will probably not be very good.”

“Lucky for me I don’t really eat meat,” Nicole replies with a smile, “Kind of difficult to do when you live somewhere that your only source of meat is actually your pet.”

“You might have just become my favorite person in this whole town,” Waverly says.

Nicole laughs, maybe even blushes a little, but she hides it in her mug of steaming hot coffee. While she takes a sip, she begins to wonder if there’s any magic left in her trusty backpack for her to have a change of clothes. At least some fresh panties.

She nearly chokes on her drink as Blitzen comes to a screeching halt beside them and nudges Waverly’s shoulder. She quickly caves and pulls her freezing hand out of her pocket, running it along Blitzen’s nose. Her snorting is softer, telling Nicole she’s pleased rather than annoyed.

“I think she likes you,” Nicole says.

“She really is something,” Waverly muses.

“Listen,” Nicole starts, lowering her mug and holding it at her hip, “I might take you up on that offer. If you don’t mind keeping an eye on them, that is.”

“I would love to,” Waverly says.

They stare at each other for a moment like they are waiting on the other to cave. Nicole’s resolve has already faltered, giving in despite knowing she probably should remain distance. The truth of the matter is that she sees something really special in this woman that she’s never seen before, something intriguing and possibly even addictive. But that’s not why their here, even though drugged up Cupid is fully encouraging it.

Finally, they both break and Nicole follows Waverly into the house. Wynonna seems to be a figment of Nicole’s imagination as she doesn’t see her anywhere, but she she does feel her overwhelming presence. Thankfully she produces a fresh change of clothes out of her backpack, some jeans and a button up flannel that really doesn’t specifically subscribe to the Christmas holiday.

Once she showers she heads back outside, immediately spotting Robin’s truck parked in the space between the house and the barn. She’s slightly relieved at having a professional around but definitely feels on edge at the idea that the questions can easily come a million a minute. She honestly hasn’t ever had to explain herself and the one time she tried the person thought it was a joke. She gets the feeling that at least one of those people won’t be laughing, but will be incredibly enthralled.

All of the reindeer are back in the barn, eying this new yet familiar stranger with great care. They seem to be towering over him just as much when he’s near Waverly as when he’s near Cupid. She wonders what in the world is making them so fond of this woman they’ve just met. Hopefully it’ll pass. They aren’t staying here forever.

“Hello,” Nicole announces. Ten pair of eyes turn towards her and it’s quite an overwhelming feeling. She chuckles quietly and lifts her hands carefully, trying to say that she comes in peace. “What did I miss?”

“Robin just wanted to swing by and work with her a little bit,” Waverly says, “I was hoping we could go into town while he does that.”

“Is that ok with you guys?” Nicole asks, looking around at all of the big eyes staring at her. She knows they’re not going to answer, but she really can’t help maintaining a dialogue with them. It’s what they’re used to.

As she approaches Waverly and Robin, Comet pushes to her feet and moves closer. She stops in her tracks as Comet pushes the space between her eyes to Nicole’s forehead. The antlers on her head cut it close, but she has a certain practiced ease with Nicole. She quickly scratches behind Comet’s ears before taking a step back.

“After you,” Nicole says, looking at Waverly. Nicole watches as Waverly gives Robin a quick nod and slips passed her. Trailing behind, she pauses in the doorway and gives the reindeer a pointed look. “You’re all grounded, by the way.”

Blitzen snorts but curls up into a sleepy ball.

Nicole continues following Waverly to her red Jeep. She braces herself as she climbs in, realizing that she hasn’t been in a car in years. She starts feeling a little nervous at the prospects, of the life she may experience. Having not been around people in years, she doesn’t really know what she’ll run into. Hell, she’s already run into an actual angel. And perhaps a demon. What other supernatural beings are in this town?

In the car, a low him of Christmas music plays over the radio. It’s a good 20 minutes before Waverly turns it up and sings along to a few. Nicole knows them all, but she’s never heard it in the voice of an angel before. It is a life altering sound, much different than anything else she’s experienced.

“What song’s your favorite?” Waverly asks over a radio station commercial.

“Uh,” Nicole hesitates for a moment, wondering what capacity she’s asking the question, “ _Wrecking Ball_.”

“What?” Waverly says through a laugh, “Do they even let you listen to that at the North Pole?”

It’s the first time she’s said it; the first time she’s really clarified that she knows exactly who Nicole is. She’s sure that later on she will have to explain herself. Probably after the initial shock that this is really happening rubs off.

“First of all, everybody has headphones for a reason,” Nicole replies with a smile, “But I also went to boarding school like everyone else.”

“Boarding school is not all that common,” Waverly says, voice incredulous.

“Trust me, there’s seven point seven billion people on earth and it’s more common than you think,” Nicole says with a smirk, “My school had about a thousand people in it. Not a single one of them ever knew the real me.”

“That sounds...”Waverly starts and stops rather quickly, pulling onto the Main Street in town, “It sounds really lonely.”

Nicole shrugs dismissively. The only living creatures who might know the real her are the reindeer, and even then she sometimes isn’t entirely sure. However, she refuses to burden Waverly with this knowledge.

Once Waverly parks the vehicle, she takes a cautious look around before getting out. They head inside of the grocery store and spend an unprecedented amount of time in the produce section. As she’s watching Waverly load items in the cart she’s once against weighed with the guilt that she can’t really do anything for Waverly in return.

Still, her kindness goes a long way.


	4. Vixen

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> There's a little bit more of the reindeer falling in love with Waverly. They're valid.

Once they return with fruits and vegetables practically flooding out of the vehicle, the reindeer get to eat. If they were in the wild they would eat lichen off of trees, but at the North Pole they have no such thing. Their diet typically consists of sweet potatoes, carrots and apples. Sometimes they eat horse feed, but that’s few and far between. Usually around Christmastime when they travel beyond their borders.

Vixen, however, likes sweets. Her favorite food is marshmallows and if they are even anywhere near her they will disappear in the blink of an eye. Nicole couldn’t find it within herself to ask Waverly if she could grab a package, but on the car ride back she asked if Waverly has any. By the time Nicole heads into the barn to check on Cupid’s progress Waverly has returned with a handful to give to Vixen as a peace offering.

Nicole goes inside to check on Cupid’s progress. Whatever they did while her and Waverly were gone, Cupid is already resting. Her eyes are closed but her breathing is loud like she’s tired. She just be loud as she enters because Robin turns on his heel to take a look at her like she’s interrupting.

“How’s everything going?” Nicole asks.

“The wounds are still fresh,” Robin says. He seems stressed or worried. She can’t exactly tell which. Perhaps it’s her own emotions getting in the way of reading his properly. It’s frustrating her that she can’t seem to get a grip. Between Waverly’s presence confusing her and her own worry blocking everything, she’s pretty sure she’s going crazy. “She isn’t ready to try being mobile yet. You’ll just have to give her some time. Don’t push her to do anything she seems to be resisting. Don’t worry about her so much, alright? She’ll be ok. Whatever it was didn’t seem to do too deep of damage so it’s mostly all just surface injuries. She’s still in pain though so be patient.”

“I’m just worried about her,” Nicole admits.

“She isn’t going to do anything she can’t handle,” Robin replies gently. His facial features slip to that of kindness as he steps forward and gently lays a hand on her shoulder. She quickly looks at his gloved hand before her eyes flit back over to his. The corners of his mouth tug upwards and he says, “It’s gonna be a journey but you’ll both make it through.”

“Thanks,” Nicole murmurs. The weight of his hand leaves her shoulder and he seems to abandon any past hints at judgement that he had. She feels a little more reassured, but it doesn’t entirely help. What Waverly said in the car about being lonely comes to the forefront of her mind. “So, uh, what do I owe you?”

“Talk to Waverly,” Robin says. He moves around Nicole and seems to be done with the conversation, but he stops before he can exit the barn. Nicole watches as he looks at her curiously. “She really believes in you.”

Nicole watches silently as he leaves, her mind wandering to thoughts of Waverly. She has to get to the bottom of this mystery. She doesn’t understand why Waverly is being so nice to her, a person who has never done anything for the woman in her entire life.

After gathering her bearings, she makes her way back outside. The sun is shining brightly, almost blindingly, and most of the reindeer seem to be out soaking up the rays of sunlight. Comet licks at a block of ice before heading back into the barn undoubtedly to settle back in at Cupid’s side. Nicole hangs out in the doorway, watching as Waverly laughs with her entire body while playing a game with Vixen. Nicole’s heart beats against her ribcage as she watches the woman easily win over every single one of them.

Dasher eventually gives Waverly a relief and takes over playing with Vixen until she’s bored enough to give up. The other half human person present makes her way over to where Nicole leans against the barn door. If she had to guess, she would guess that it’s pretty clear that Nicole is in awe.

“How are you doing that?” Nicole asks.

“Doing what?” Waverly asks.

“Winning them over,” Nicole says, “They don’t take to people so easily.”

Waverly simply shrugs in response as she grins. It sure is a sight. Nicole shakes her head at that, feeling silly for even having such thoughts. She’s going back to the North Pole as soon as possible. There’s no reason for her to get all chummy with this woman.

“They’re sweet,” Waverly muses.

“Thank you for today,” Nicole says in response.

“Of course,” Waverly replies.

“Seriously. I know you’re going through a lot. You really don’t need to take this on as well,” Nicole replies.

“Honestly,” Waverly says, seemingly sighing with her entire body, “I could use the distraction.”

“You’re too kind,” Nicole says under her breath.

“I’m not,” Waverly protests. Nicole watches on in silence, encouraging the woman to just let it all out if she so pleases. Waverly drops her gaze, suddenly looking anywhere but at her. Nicole pushes off of the doorway and approaches her carefully, like she’s a skiddish animal who could run at any second. “I honestly don’t know how I’m supposed to feel. My sister was dead. Then she wasn’t. Then she was again. _Is_. And, truth be told, we never really got along. I have no idea why.”

Nicole gives a sad smile, trying to offer reassurance but not exactly knowing how. Most of her family has died. Not that her family has ever been particularly overflowing with people. But she doesn’t exactly know how to give someone comfort for experiencing a loss. Especially when that person has felt a whirlwind of emotions.

“You don’t have to feel anything in particular,” Nicole replies, “Feel however you feel.”

“I actually feel kind of...relieved,” Waverly admits, “Does that make me a bad person?”

“You, Waverly Earp, are a good person,” Nicole says, decidedly, “And I would know.”

“I know who you are,” Waverly replies, like she’s finally decided to let it all come bubbling out, “You’re not exactly what I expected. You’re more...real.”

“Well, I’m a real person,” Nicole says, grinning at that, “I just happen to have a little bit of magic.”

“I guess I just expected,” Waverly hesitates and looks away, a blush touching her cheeks.

“A man?” Nicole asks.

“That sounds horrible,” Waverly says sheepishly, “That isn’t what I meant. It’s just the stereotype of old and jolly.”

“So I can’t be Santa?” Nicole asks.

“What? No, you can,” Waverly tries to recover, “I’m gonna, I’m gonna stop talking.”

“No,” Nicole hums, smiling at the embarrassment kissing Waverly’s cheeks. She stares, tracing the outline of Waverly’s face. She would be a liar to deny the fact that Waverly is beautiful. Perhaps even the most beautiful woman she’s seen. She swallows thickly and, despite herself, says, “It’s cute.”

“What’s cute?” Waverly asks, eyebrows furrowing quickly.

“Uh,” Nicole replies, voice hanging for a moment as she racks her brain for a response. It isn’t easy to come up with something that isn’t entirely equally embarrassing for her. She absently licks her lips before she says, “You seemed embarrassed to buy into all of the myths you’ve heard and you shouldn’t.”

“I don’t know what I’m supposed to believe,” Waverly says honestly.

“You’re not supposed to believe anything,” Nicole says. Waverly seems to shy away, looking elsewhere. Nicole feels incredibly warm despite the cold, winter air biting at her. She really feels for this woman, seeming like she’s trying to be whoever everyone else wants her to be. “Look. You’re allowed to be your own person. You don’t have to believe anything if you don’t want to.”

“It’s kind of difficult not to believe it when you’re standing right in front of me,” Waverly retorts.

“I didn’t realize we were still talking about me,” Nicole says softly. She sighs heavily, shifting her weight to her heels and burying her hands into her pockets. It’s her turn to look away, her turn to feel an embarrassment. “Truthfully, probably the less you know about me, the better.”

“One day you’re gonna let somebody in,” Waverly says, voice soft yet firm, and it draws Nicole’s gaze back to her, “And you’ll learn that not everyone is a shit ticket about this stuff.”

Nicole can’t help the laugh that falls out of her mouth and she can’t tell if Waverly is annoyed, embarrassed or indifferent about it. The noise seems to attract the attention of the reindeer and they all wander over, Rudolph approaching first and licking her face. Nicole sighs and wipes at the wet spot, pushing at him with the other hand.

“Rudolph,” Nicole chastises, “Not cool, buddy.”

Her soft hands are no match for the 350 pound animal, especially with the lack of effort she has going on behind the push. He snorts and doesn’t resist, tongue slipping into the air as Nicole reacts much quickly and leans away. She doesn’t know if she should thank him for getting out of the conversation or be mad at him. It was getting to be a little too much about herself.

“Sorry,” Nicole tells Waverly, pushing at his chest with a little more muscle this time, “He’s a little _rude_.”

She’s looking at Rudolph now, hoping that he will get the hint. Even though he doesn’t seem to care, Dasher catches the hint and pushes at Rudolph’s side. He moves, submitting to her like always, and Prancer slips into his place. She doesn’t lick, but she nudges at Nicole’s hand repeatedly until she starts to pet her.

“They’ve all forgotten their manners,” Nicole supplies. Waverly laughs and shakes her head, reaching out to scratch Prancer’s backside. After a moment of giving the animals attention, Nicole sees Waverly shiver again and feels incredibly guilty. “Hey, you’re freezing. You should go inside and get warm.”

Waverly sighs, sounding dejected as she retracts her hand, and says, “Yeah, I probably should. Do you want to come in?”

“No,” Nicole says, not looking at Waverly for fear that she will cave, “I better not.”

“If you change your mind,” Waverly says softly.

“Thanks,” Nicole replies.

She looks at Waverly then and offers her a small smile. Luckily, it seems to quell any negative thoughts that Waverly might have because she smiles back. Nicole, and the reindeer, watch her in silence as she walks to the house, kicks snow off of her boots, and goes inside.

Sighing, Nicole turns her face towards Prancer and says, “We can’t get attached.”

Prancer nuzzles her hand for a moment before she relents, scratching her snout for a minute. When she stops, Prancer lifts her head quickly and gives her a rather harsh look. Nicole scoffs. She says, “Don’t look at me like that. I know you like her, but we’re going home as soon as Cupid is on her feet.”

Vixen rushes over and pushes against her, practically staring her down.

“Don’t look at me like that,” Nicole warns, “Just because she’s pretty and nice doesn’t mean anything. She has a lot of stuff going on. I know you guys can feel it.”

Dropping her hand, she looks at the rather large group and says, “Come on. Let’s go inside and get warm.”

She turns on her heel and heads into the barn, holding the door open so they can follow her in one by one. As they enter, Cupid lifts her head from the ground and her eyes light up. Nicole grins.

“I don’t have any carrots,” Nicole says.

Cupid snorts.

The others snort.

Nicole huffs.

Regardless they all settle into some comfortable spots. Nicole leans back into her pile of blankets and reads a book. _The Raven and the Reindeer_ which is a retelling of _The Snow Queen_. She’s edging towards the end when the light begins to fade. Thankfully, right around that time the barn door opens and Waverly enters with her hands full of a bowl.

“Hey,” Nicole hums, standing to her feet.

“Hey,” Waverly replies with a smile, “Brought you some soup.”

Nicole’s stomach rumbles in response. She hasn’t even realized she’s hungry because she’s been so engrossed in her book. The reindeer seem to be interested in Waverly’s presence, including Cupid, as they all lift their heads and look at her.

She appears shy suddenly.

“I thought you might be hungry,” Waverly adds.

“Starving, apparently,” Nicole says as her stomach rumbles again.

Waverly chuckles politely and Nicole doesn’t know how to take it, if she’s actually funny or if Waverly’s just too nice. Someone snorts behind her and when she tosses a glance over her shoulder she sees Cupid’s wide and encouraging eyes. Nicole smirks, completely unable to deny her encouragement.

Waverly coos before Nicole can say anything.

“How’s she doing?” Waverly asks, corners of her mouth pulling upwards.

Nicole steps forward and makes a gesture to take the bowl from the woman. She says, “Getting there. A little more coherent this afternoon but still not quite ready to get up and go.”

“Why don’t you eat and I’ll treat her wounds?” Waverly suggests.

Nicole’s stomach growls again and doesn’t give her much room to protest. By the time Waverly’s finished so is Nicole. The bowl is empty in its entirety and it’s possibly Nicole’s favorite thing she’s ever eaten.

They don’t chat much. In fact, Nicole notes that Waverly looks sadder and more tired than she did before. So she decides not to say anything to her and just retreat to being out of the way. They tell each other goodnight before Waverly leaves with the empty bowl.

Nicole feels the pain in her chest, wishing that she could help and wishing that she could get to know this magnificent creature a little bit better even though she shouldn’t.


	5. Donder

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nicole finally meets Wynonna.

Nicole is woken by Comet nuzzling at her hand. It doesn’t take look before Rudolph is joining in, licking at her face. Her brain can hardly register what’s going on when she hears singing from outside of the barn. After blinking a few times, she realizes that Donder isn’t gathered around her like everyone else. When she finally gathers herself and gets to her feet, stretching high above her head to really get the kinks out, it finally registers what she’s hearing.

Donder and a person are outside singing Christmas carols. It really isn’t difficult to guess who that person is just based on her location and the fact that it’s been 2 days and she hasn’t seen or heard Wynonna. She would be worried if she didn’t know she can get through anything. She’s always been able to do that, even when it’s so difficult it would probably break even Nicole’s spirits.

Wandering outside with a hoarde of reindeer behind her, Nicole smiles upon seeing Waverly. Her brown hair is in waves, caught in the wind and blowing around her like a pattern for her eyes to follow. She looks warm and bundled up in a blue jacket that hugs her waist tightly, white gloves painting a trail along Donder’s shoulder. Her jeans are tight, enunciating her curves. Nicole even sees the glow surrounding her, the one that surely everyone else knows is there but they don’t see. Today, it’s a brilliant yellow. Like the sun.

Nicole watches quietly, hoping to remember this moment for the rest of her life. It isn’t every day that a person gets to hear an actual angel sing. It also isn’t every day that Nicole may or may not admit to herself that she has a crush on another magical being. Most Santa’s have only ever fallen in love with a human, but not her. She doesn’t do anything halfway. Not that she’s in love with this woman or anything. She probably could be, one day, if the stars aligned, but she’s never been that lucky. One thing she does know is that Waverly is no longer dating that good for nothing weasel, Champ Hardy.

Once the song ends, Nicole steps forward. Her boot crunches the snow resting on the earth’s surface and alerts the woman of her presence. Waverly nearly jumps out of her skin at the sound. Nicole smiles apologetically and says, “Morning.”

“Morning,” Waverly replies, also looking sheepish, “Sorry if I woke you.”

“Comet woke me, actually,” Nicole admits, “She’s been glued to Cupid’s side the whole time so I’m just glad to have her worrying a little less.”

“She seems to be recovering nicely,” Waverly muses.

“Just need her on her feet,” Nicole says.

“Right, so you can go home,” Waverly says in return.

“Yeah,” Nicole murmurs, fighting a yawn, “I don’t want to keep imposing.”

“Actually, I came to invite you inside for coffee,” Waverly says like she’s proving Nicole wrong. Nicole’s head tilts in response and she absently wonders how she met the one person in the world who could make another person feel like they’re important. She barely knows her and yet, her she is making Nicole feel like someone is taking her into consideration. No one ever does. “Why are you looking at me like that?”

“Because,” Nicole says, “You truly are something else.”

Dasher snorts and interrupts, annoyed that Blitzen has already started in with her desire to go on a run. Waverly laughs and when Nicole’s gaze turns back towards her, she catches the beautiful crinkle around her eyes and the pure joy that surrounds her. No one could fake something like that. Silently, Nicole is in awe at how genuine Waverly is.

Waverly’s eyes seem to light up as she looks over Nicole’s shoulder and she can’t help turning to look at whatever the other woman is seeing. Cupid stands in the doorway, looking up at the sky. Nicole audibly releases a sigh of relief at the sight of Cupid, the tension in her shoulders quickly draining.

“Hey there, beautiful,” Nicole says loudly. Cupid allwly looks over at her, eyes lighting up when they land on Nicole. They don’t hold their gaze for long before Cupid is flitting hers to Waverly and back. Still, Nicole closes the gap between them and lights rubs Cupid’s non-injured shoulder. “How’s it going?”

Cupid turns her head and pushes the side of her face against Nicole’s arm, pushing her back into Waverly’s direction. Next thing she knows, Waverly is popping up beside her and running her hands along Cupid’s side. She says, “I was just trying to get Nicole here to come inside for some coffee. Help me?”

Cupid doesn’t hesitate to encourage, pushing on Nicole’s shoulder with seemingly all of her strength.

Donder looks at Nicole over Waverly’s shoulder, resting her neck on the shorter woman’s right shoulder and licking at Nicole’s face. Donder, who has a very strong and creative personality. In part, Nicole wonders if that’s why she likes Waverly so much. She seems to be creative. More creative than Nicole, that’s for sure.

“I’ll come in,” Nicole finally relents. Waverly smiles wider than Nicole’s ever seen and turns on her heel, leading Nicole back to the house. She follows obediently, feeling a little bit awkward knowing that she’s probably less put together than normal. The moment she steps foot into the house, she decides she should freshen up. “Do you mind if I use the bathroom?”

“Of course not,” Waverly answers, “You know where it is.”

Nicole makes her way to the bathroom. On her way she sees a few pictures of their family, from their childhood. She tries not to look to intently at things, invading their privacy despite being in millions of homes. She’s seems all different types of lifestyles. Although her job is to bring hope and joy, she sometimes finds that when looking at people’s pictures.

She spends a few minutes looking at herself in the mirror. She needs to change clothes. She’s wearing the same red flannel button up from the day before with a pair of really dirty looking jeans. She’s sure sleeping on the ground of that old barn is really giving an edge to her look. Sighing, she runs her hands through her hair. At least some wayward strays go down. She takes the opportunity to roll up her sleevea before exiting the bathroom, at least a little relief from the heat inside of the house.

When she gets to the doorway of the kitchen she stops in her tracks. There’s a silly feeling bubbling inside of her, a want like she’s never had before. She wants to know this mysterious woman, this kind and glorious being who really almost makes her feel normal.

She watches on for a few minutes before she makes her presence known. With the clearing of her throat, Waverly nearly jumps out of her skin at the sound before she turns to look at Nicole. Her smile is sheepish yet warm, silently inviting Nicole to enter the kitchen.

“Hey,” Waverly says.

Nicole absently wonders if they’re going to greet each other every time they’re on the same room like they haven’t seen each other in days.

Despite feeling silly, she says, “Hi.”

Waverly gestures for her to enter the kitchen and Nicole begrudgingly complies. She still feels out of place in this home, especially considering Wynonna still hasn’t really made an appearance. Her presence has certainly been felt. Nicole wonders specifically what she’s been doing to fill in the gaps inside of her. All she knows is that it isn’t very good.

Nicole sits at the table and isn’t even fully comfortable in her seat before Waverly is setting a cup of coffee down in front of her. She watches the steam rise from the mug for a moment, trying not to watch Waverly too closely. No use taking advantage of the poor woman.

After a few minutes of slurping on the hot liquid, Waverly finally breaks the silence by saying, “Do you have coffee back home?”

Nicole stares at her for a moment, gauging what she’s really asking. Looking away, she pulls the cup closer to her and cradles it in her hands. The ceramic thing is so freaking warm against her palms.

“You mean, at the North Pole?” Nicole finally asks.

“Yeah,” Waverly confirms. Nicole watches quietly as the wheels turn behind Waverly’s eyes before she looks away. A moment passes before Waverly looks at her again, blushing yet completely curious. “Do you have coffee at the North Pole?”

“The elves won’t let me have coffee. It isn’t sweet enough,” Nicole replies. A smirk pulls at her mouth but quickly fades when she realizes that Waverly thinks she’s serious. She leans back in the chair and gets more comfortable, crossing one leg over the other. “I have coffee. I’m not fully awake until I get my coffee.”

“So the elves are...?” Waverly leaves the question in hanging in the air.

“People?” Nicole says, voice slightly teasing as she wonders what is with the leading question. Waverly stares at her, and she allows herself to get lost in the woman’s eyes. _Oh, god, don’t go down this road_ , she thinks. “The North Pole is just another small town where everyone calls themselves Elves.”

“So it’s like your high school mascot?” Waverly asks, clearly confused.

The adorable look of confusion makes Nicole laugh before she says, “Not exactly. School there isn’t like normal school. That’s why my parents sent me to boarding school so I would get a better feel for the world. The North Pole is kind of...jaded.”

“What do you mean?” Waverly asks. She cups her mug between her hands and pulls it up to her mouth, taking a careful sip. Nicole watches her throat bob as she swallows, the pretty contours of her features kicking Nicole right in the chest.

“They judge people, and hard. People in the town, people outside of the town. They aren’t exactly happy with my,” Nicole pauses to sigh and clears her throat, “With my leadership.”

“Your leadership?” Waverly repeats.

“They don’t necessarily agree with my beliefs on the human race,” Nicole admits, “They think people need a harsher punishment, that I don’t completely understand my role, but I don’t see it like that. I see myself as a symbol of hope but they are really committed to this naughty or nice thing.”

“Oh?” Waverly asks, a little more confused.

“There are seven billion people in the world, right? I said that,” Nicole says. Her nerves begin to fray under Waverly’s gaze and sway everywhere. She can’t remember the last time she felt nervous around someone. “Anyway, I can’t go to everyone’s house. It just isn’t feasible. What I _can_ do though is go to the places where I’m needed, leave a little something for people who need me the most.”

“How come you’ve never come here before?” Waverly asks, voice sounding soft.

Nicole watches in silence as Waverly’s hands slide across the surface of the table, curiosity trying to hook her in. She considers reaching out and stilling her hands, feeling them beneath her warm palms. Sighing, she checks herself and looks away. She can’t keep staring at this woman and being so rude.

“Like here?” Nicole finally asks.

“To my house,” Waverly clarifies.

“Because you don’t need me,” Nicole answers. It’s almost like Waverly doesn’t believe her if the look on her face says anything. Part of her wants to lay it all out in the table - how the warning has always been not to enter Purgatory, how she didn’t even really know that Waverly existed. Instead, she decides she shouldn’t do that. “There isn’t a single gift in the world I could give you that’s good enough for you.”

“Yeah right,” Waverly scoffs.

Nicole can’t get another word out before her stomach aches with the feeling of pain. It brings her to a halt until she hears a noise from the other room. Only then does she move in her seat, squirming as she braces herself for the interruption.

“Ho ho ho, fuckers,” Wynonna greets as she enters the kitchen, “Anyone wanna explain why there’s a sleigh and some reindeer in my front yard?”

Swallowing, Nicole stands to her feet and extends a hand. She says, “Nicole...Nicole Haught?”

“ _Hot_?” Wynonna repeats, eyes widening.

“Of course,” Waverly mutters, barely audible.

The reaction sends Nicole’s head spinning and she wonders if maybe Waverly feels it too.


	6. Dancer

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nicole finally comes inside.

It takes hours before Wynonna is done interrogating her, but at least Waverly appears to be satisfied with the answers she receives. Although they don’t seem to get onto the subject of the Earp sisters hardly at all, which leaves Nicole in a slight fit of frustration because she wants to know more about Waverly, at least the conversation dies out and Wynonna excuses herself to wherever Wynonna goes. It leaves her and Waverly alone with the woman fully intent on trying to at least take her mind off of being stuck in Purgatory.

After she gets cleaned up, she wanders outside to feed the reindeer. They all seem excited and energetic, even Cupid who is still moving but slowly. They take turns eating each slice of fruit offered and when it isn’t their turn they dig through the snow in search of grass.

Dancer makes her way over and, once she’s taken fruit into her mouth, carries it over to Cupid. Depositing it beside Cupid, she quickly makes her way back over. When Nicole hears the front door open, she turns her head to look at the sound. Waverly comes down the stairs practically floating and it truly doesn’t go unnoticed. Even Dancer starts moving in circles overflowing with excitement.

Nicole laughs at the sight, remembering when Dancer was young. They only saw each other a handful of times, when she was home from boarding school and Dancer was still getting used to her legs. Nicole knew then who she was supposed to be, what role she was meant to play. Nicole had been 17 and tried to tell her father what she saw, but he had simply told her it wasn’t up to him...it was up to her.

“You didn’t happen to bring popcorn with you, did you?” Nicole asks.

“No,” Waverly says, looking slightly defeated by having to say so.

“It’s Dancer’s favorite,” Nicole says with a shrug.

Waverly pouts and the softened lines of her face seems to punch Nicole in the gut. She looks away, taking in deep and steady breaths. A blush warms her face and she pulls her bottom lip between her teeth in a futile attempt to collect her bearings at how adorable this woman is.

Finally, she pushes a breath out through her nose and lifts her gaze back up. Their eyes connect. She says, “Don’t worry about it. There’s always later.”

“Are you sure?” Waverly asks.

“Yeah, yeah,” Nicole insists, “I don’t think we’re going anywhere just yet.”

“Do you maybe want to run into town and get a bit to eat?” Waverly asks.

“You really don’t have to spend all this time with me, you know,” Nicole replies.

“I know,” Waverly says, “But, I mean, we’re friends. Right?”

“Sure,” Nicole says. The sigh that falls out of her probably sounds more disappointed than she intends. Waverly certainly doesn’t owe her anything, especially since she crash landed right into her life. “I just...thanks for being so cool about all of this.”

“Of course,” Waverly says. Nicole’s lips part as she watches Waverly twist, chin touching her shoulder as she oozes innocence and sincerity. Her eyes sparkle and Nicole’s stomach muscles seem to tighten in response, air evading her as she forgets to breathe. “I am enjoying your company, for the record. Plus, they’re all so precious.”

“Don’t let them hear you say that,” Nicole says with a laugh.

“Why not?” Waverly says. She’s drifting closer to Nicole now, like she isn’t even walking in the snow but floating above it. Nicole can’t help looking in awe, like the sun only shines for this woman.

_Stop being foolish_ , Nicole thinks.

“It’ll go to their heads,” Nicole says. Dancer snorts, silently agreeing like she doesn’t soak up the attention whenever it’s given. She likes showboating as much as Donder. She gives Dancer a sharp look. “Please, you love the attention.”

Dancer snorts, turning away from Nicole. Mouth dropping open, Nicole shakes her head. She taps Dancer on the side, pushing her nerves to get her to look back at her. She says, “Don’t throw a fit. You know you do.”

“She’s mad at you,” Waverly murmurs as she slides into the space beside Nicole, hands circling Dancer’s snout and rubbing, “Hey, Cutie, don’t be upset. I’ll make you popcorn later.”

Dancer immediately perks up and licks Waverly’s cheek. For a moment, Nicole is jealous of how charming they all are and how easily they seem to be capturing this woman’s heart. She quickly chastises herself. She didn’t come here for love. She’s only here for Cupid’s recovery.

“Oh, come on,” Nicole grumbles, patting Dancer more, “You know I think reindeer are better than people.”

Dancer snorts again, finally looking at Nicole over her shoulder. Nicole scoffs when Dancer returns to Waverly’s attention, snuggling harder into her touch. She says, “I get it. You like her. She’s pretty great.”

“She is,” Waverly agrees.

Nicole blushes, refusing to correct her that she was actually talking to Dancer about Waverly. Instead, she lets the woman believe what she wants to believe. She’s felt herself blush more in the last 3 days than in her entire life. It’s quite embarrassing. Especially since the time spent with this amazing woman is most likely just a tiny blip in her life. She hates that she is having a minor attachment to Waverly when the woman just thinks of her as a friend.

“So,” Waverly ventures, “You can read minds?”

“Not minds,” Nicole corrects, “Feelings.”

“Do you think Wynonna’s gonna be ok?” Waverly asks.

“Eventually,” Nicole says. She doesn’t want to lie to the woman. She knows that feelings are a difficult thing to process. For her, she sometimes picks up so many different feelings that it’s difficult to process what feelings are her own. One of the things she misses most about the North Pole as that deep level of empathy is blocked. If Waverly weren’t also a magical being, she would probably be miserable stuck here for so long. “What about you? Are you ok?”

“I guess I’m still processing,” Waverly admits.

“What was it like growing up?” Nicole asks.

Waverly is silent for a moment, petting away at Dancer’s long face before she seems to sense the intensity of their conversation and wanders away. The reindeer have a much sharper sense of empathy than Nicole, getting no real break from the feeling no matter the type of being they are. At least Nicole gets a reprieve, but she always has to keep her energy focused and her emotions lifted. It’s sometimes exhausting.

They both watch the reindeer fall into a battle of horns, playing carelessly in the white snow. Their hooves leave tracks in the yard. Out of the corner of her eyes, she sees Waverly bury her hands into her pockets as she shivers from the cold. Nicole steps a little closer in an attempt to offer some of her natural body heat.

“It was rough,” Waverly finally says, “Mama left when I was really young and my dad, he didn’t really like me much. He wasn’t cruel per se, he just had a preference. Even Wynonna didn’t always get his attention. But Willa, she was, she was kind of cruel to me. All of the memories I have of her are...they’re really shitty.”

“I’m sorry,” Nicole says, hearing the pain in her voice.

“It’s ok,” Waverly says, shrugging it off, “When Wynonna shot daddy and Willa disappeared we went to live with Gus and Curtis. They were really good to me.”

“You don’t have to do that, you know,” Nicole replies.

“Do what?” Waverly asks.

“Act like it wasn’t a big deal. It was all a lot to deal with for anyone, especially with everything throw together,” Nicole says. She buries her hands into her pockets, afraid that if she doesn’t she’s going to resort to physical comfort. “I’m not going to judge you for feelings however you feel. I know that the myth out there is that’s what I do, but it isn’t what _I_ do. I’m not...exactly like my father.”

“What was he like?” Waverly says.

“He was different,” Nicole softly offers, “He didn’t care much for children. Ironic, considering who he was. But he cared about structure and discipline. He didn’t have a full understanding for the human race. He thought everything was black and white. That people were inanely good or bad. But they aren’t. There are so many factors about why we do the things that we do. It’s funny though. The thing he hated most about me was the thing he wanted most for me.”

“Which was?” Waverly says, fully facing Nicole now.

“He wanted me to truly understand people,” Nicole says with a shrug, “It’s what made me want to be a cop.”

“You want to be a cop?” Waverly says, surprise all over her features.

“It is my duty to protect and serve,” Nicole says, dramatically lifting a hand and covering her heart, “Not much different than what a cop does, right?”

“My dad was a cop,” Waverly says.

“That’s right,” Nicole hums, “Sorry. It all gets a little jumbled sometimes. There’s a lot going on in here.”

“And you,” Waverly starts. Nicole feels Waverly’s hand tap against her forearm and brings her attention down, eyes scanning where they’re touching. Her breath catches as she realizes how close they are and all she would have to do is take one stop forward to kiss her. Wouldn’t take all that much effort at all. “What are you feeling?”

Nicole lifts her gaze back up to Waverly’s and stares. Absently, she licks her lips as she wonders what Waverly’s lips might feel like against hers. She kicks herself. Swallowing the lump in her throat, she says, “Hungry. I’m hungry.”

“We should probably head to town then,” Waverly says, sighing with her entire body.

It causes her to narrow her gaze in search for what Waverly might be feelings, but she comes up empty. For the first time, she sends a curse to the heavens that she can’t read the feelings of this ethereal being. If she could just read her emotions rather than having to wait for them to communicate them then she would have some idea of what these things with this woman means. Despite her frustration, she smiles and follows Waverly to her vehicle.

They continue to chat, no subject of real importance coming back up again, on their way to town. They have a sandwich at Shorty’s where they see Wynonna drowning herself at the bar across from Doc Holliday. Nicole doesn’t need any explanation about this man, but Waverly offers her one anyway. Doc and Waverly keeps exchanging looks and at one point he even draws Waverly away to have a quick chat without prying ears.

By the time they leave the bar, the sun has set. The rest of town seems to have wandered into the bar, vehemently aware of this stranger sharing a booth with Waverly. Surprisingly, Wynonna doesn’t announce who she is to the world and Nicole would like to keep it that way. She’s drunk beyond control when they leave, but Doc assures he will take care of her.

As they pull up to the Earp homestead, Nicole notices in the beam of lights that none of the reindeer are wandering around outside. She steps out of the vehicle and hears the snow crunch beneath her feet before heading into the barn. She does a quick head count and notices that they’ve all huddled together. It’s colder tonight than it has been.

She smiles tightly when she hears the creak of the door behind her.

“Will you please come inside tonight?” Waverly asks. Nicole turns slowly on her heel to look at the woman. She can barely see her in the darkness. “I have a couch.”

“Twist my arm,” Nicole says with a smirk.

“Come on,” Waverly tries to be convincing, “We can watch a movie.”

“Well, ok,” Nicole finally relents.

Nicole grabs her backpack and follows Waverly into the house. They get comfortable on the couch, each sitting in opposite corners, before Waverly picks a movie for them to watch. Nicole is careful to stay in her space and they make it all of the way through the movie in silence. Waverly nods her goodnight before heading upstairs, presumably to her bedroom.


	7. Comet

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> An elf makes an appearance to bring Nicole home.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We are fairly close to the end now. I thank you for reading and hope that you're enjoying it.

The pounding on the door wakes her up with a very, very high heart rate. Before she can blink the sleep away, the sound of footsteps rapidly descending the stairs echoes through the living room. She sits up slowly and runs a hand through her hair to straighten it out. By the time the door is answered, she hasn’t quite gotten herself out together enough.

Head cloudy with sleep but body well rested, Nicole stands to her feet and stretches her arms high above her head. Her spine cracks, but she certainly feels better than sleeping on the floor of the barn. It’s warmer in the house too. Not that she normally feels too cold. Her body runs at a higher temperature.

“Hi,” Waverly greets the knocker kindly, “Can I help you?”

“Oh yes,” the familiar voice says. Nicole’s eyes widen as she registers who the voice belongs to. She’s either about to be in big trouble or someone was finally worried about them. “I’m looking for Nicole. I tracked her here. And those...animals in your yard belong to her. Please tell me she’s here.”

“Oh, yes,” Waverly says, voice actually sounding like a smile.

Nicole’s eyes manage to widen even more as she realizes that the woman is probably about to let Jeremy in. She sucks in a deep breath and creeps to the bathroom with her backpack, afraid to really face the man. After a few minutes of trying to gather herself, to maker herself presentable, she finally braces to leave the bathroom.

As she cracks open the door, she hears Waverly and Jeremy chatting idly like they’re getting to know each other. Truthfully, the way that Cupid has been getting around, they could probably leave today. She isn’t sure she will be able to really pull the wool over Jeremy’s eyes with that one.

Holding her breath, she enters the living room changed in a pair of jeans and horizontally striped shirt. She fixes her face with a smile, doing her best to play the part of innocent. When Jeremy’s eyes land on her, he seems visibly relieved as he covers his chest over his heart with both hands.

“Thank god,” he says, “When you didn’t return, I got worried.”

“We had a little accident,” Nicole says.

“I’ll leave you two to talk,” Waverly says, swiftly heading into the kitchen.

Nicole shuffles on her feet and crosses her arms in front of her chest, clasping her backpack tightly in one hand. It feels light in her hand and looks flat, but it’s the window to a world that has every need that someone might have. No one knows the power it holds and only she can make it work.

“You aren’t supposed to be here,” Jeremy whisper yells, “Purgatory is off limits.”

“I know,” Nicole replies sharply, voice hushed, “But people here are hurting. It’s my job to help those in need.”

“Didn’t they tell you why you should avoid this place?” He says.

“I think it’s pretty clear now,” Nicole huffs, “But it isn’t fair. You should see this place. These people...”

“You mean Waverly?” Jeremy asks.

“Not just Waverly,” Nicole protests, “Wynonna, Robin. Hell, even the York brothers need a little bit of hope. This town is crazy and these people just want to live a happy life.”

“Then they should move,” Jeremy counters.

“That isn’t up to me,” Nicole says, “Besides, these are good people just doing what it takes to survive. We’ve both been there. Who are we to tell these people how to live?”

“It isn’t safe here for people like us,” he hisses.

“Would you like some coffee or tea?” Waverly interjects from the doorway of the kitchen.

Nicole’s sure that she could sense the tension in the other room. She feels bad for dragging Waverly into this fight, for making her privy to things that she doesn’t need to worry about. Especially after last night, where they had a nice evening of silence of avoidance. Pretty standard for Nicole.

They both agree to coffee and after a few minutes they all 3 have a cup, stewing in silence and disagreement. She can’t really have a conversation with either of them. Jeremy is too busy worrying about her safety, which is totally not his job (by the way), and things with Waverly are just at a weird impasse. It’s mostly regarding her brewing feelings, ones that are most likely not actually being returned.

In her best talent of avoidance, she chances her throat and downs the steaming coffee before announcing that she’s going to head outside to check on the reindeer. She first makes sure they have food and water readily available. Cupid seems to be out wandering around with the rest of them, sporting only a slight limp. Comet has unglued herself from Cupid’s side but has now made her way back around to the group to check in.

Comet has always been a good source of comfort. Where Cupid can be overbearing and energetically present, Comet has always made herself more helpful. Sometimes annoyingly so. Any time that Nicole tried to handle a situation with the reindeer, such as fights or food or friendship, Comet basically steps in and takes it all on herself. Although it can be frustrating at times, it’s times like these that Nicole really appreciates her giving spirit. Nicole doesn’t have to worry much about the group because Comet has already claimed that role.

After a few minutes, Jeremy makes his way outside. She’s grateful that they have some privacy to argue in peace, but she also doesn’t want to get into this with him. It really isn’t his call what she does or doesn’t do. It’s up to her to decide.

“I’m not going to keep arguing with you, Jeremy,” she says before he can say anything else, “Cupid needs time to heal. I’m just trying to give her that.”

“Waverly is nice,” he replies.

After a beat of silence, Nicole turns to face him and says, “She isn’t human. I’m pretty sure she doesn’t have a clue.”

“I definitely felt something was up,” he admits. Comet wanders closer and nuzzles Jeremy’s hand. He pets her easily. They’re fairly close, but Comet is easy to get close to because she’s so kind and considerate. “Hey, girl. It’s been quiet back home without you.”

There’s a truck down the drive that looks familiar. Wynonna is still out, doing god knows what, and Nicole isn’t sure she wants to know. Robin’s probably swinging by to check in on Cupid again. He’s sweet, but it’s time for him to move on. She can’t pay him, not in cash. The North Pole doesn’t have currency like around here.

His truck slows to a stop and he turns it off. They watch in silence as he climbs out, smiling and waving when he notices them. He approaches easily, arms swinging. He seems less stressed now that the holidays are over. It makes Nicole feel a little bit at ease.

“Morning,” Robin says, squinting beneath the sunlight.

“Morning,” Nicole replies. She smiles politely, but she feels heavy hearted. Jeremy’s presence is weighing on her shoulders. Just as she was getting to know Waverly he’s swooped in and out all of that to an abrupt halt. “Listen, I appreciate you giving her such great care but I really can’t repay you.”

“Nicole,” Jeremy says sharply, like she’s being reprimanded. Her eyebrows furrow as she looks over at him in shock, certainly caught off guard by him being so bossy. With a closer look, she sees a light blush forming on his cheeks and she realizes exactly what the problem is. “I’m sure we can give him some form of payment.”

“Do you accept candy?” Nicole asks, looking at Robin again, “We pretty much don’t carry cash.”

“Waverly’s already taking care of it,” Robin assures with a hand on her arm. His smile is warm. Still, it doesn’t deter from the fact that Waverly is floating the bill for her reindeer’s recovery. Nicole certainly can’t have that. She begins shaking her head in slight protest, but Robin doesn’t pay attention to it. “So, how’s she doing today?”

“Slight limp,” Nicole answers, “Healing nicely, I think.”

“I’ll take a look,” Robin says.

He gives her a fleeting smile before he saunters into the group of reindeer, making his way to Cupid with ease. The two are obviously familiar by now. Cupid’s eyes slightly light up at the sight of him. Nicole tries not to think anything of it, of the gentle care he’s taken with these creatures he hardly knows. He hasn’t asked many question beyond what is absolutely necessary for him to know. Part of Nicole wants to initiate a conversation with him about specifics, but she’s afraid to get into it with him.

They watch quietly for a few minutes as Robin and Cupid interact, her sweet demeanor giving in to his every request. The bond and trust that they share is interesting to watch. Cupid is friendly with everyone, but she doesn’t take to everyone like this. Slowly, Cupid makes her way over towards Nicole and Jeremy with Robin in tow.

Nicole narrows her eyes at Cupid, slowly figuring out what she’s trying to do. She’s always trying to play matchmaker. She’s been trying to do it since the girl first landed her eyes on Waverly and the rational part of Nicole has done everything that she can to keep from buying into it. The intrigue claws at her skin as she hears the front door of the house open behind her. When she turns to look, she can’t help smiling. Relief courses through her when Waverly smiles back.

The two men start talking to one another, casual greetings and introductory conversation, but Nicole can’t hear a word as she watches Waverly approach. It’s like she hears angels singing or something, intensely drawn to the woman’s kind heart. Nicole thinks she’s starting to see this woman’s heart, to read her feelings and emotions. She couldn’t possibly give in to this. Waverly deserves better.

“Hey,” Nicole says softly, the awkwardness no longer lingering.

“I’m gonna run into town for a few things,” Waverly says, “Are you all good here?”

“Something tells me that Jeremy is just getting started,” Nicole says. Waverly laughs quietly, like she thinks it’s funny but doesn’t want to offend him. Nicole gets it. She swallows and lifts a reassuring hand to Waverly’s arm. This woman makes her feel...normal. “We’ll be fine here on our own.”

“Very well,” Waverly says, “I’ll be back in a bit.”

“Be safe,” Nicole replies.

Waverly slips away with ease and Nicole can’t help watching her. Their time together is waning. It’s time she starts weaning herself off of this feeling of normalcy she gets from this woman. She sighs heavily and runs her hands through her hair, seeming to get the attention of both Jeremy and Robin as she lets her fingers press against the back of her neck.

“Oh boy,” Jeremy hums.

“Everything ok?” Robin asks.

“Fine,” she says, audibly groaning. The Jeep pulls off and disappears into the light sky, blending into the horizon. When she slants her gaze over to the two men, she gets two very different looks from them. While Robin gives her a suspicious look, Jeremy gives her a knowing one. “It’s fine. It’s nothing.”

“She has a crush,” Jeremy says in so not a whisper.

“Would you shut up?” Nicole hisses. Cupid looks elated at this big reveal. The mastermind prances a little too excitedly. Robin immediately jumps to attention, trying to settle her. “She loves love.”

Nicole reaches out and scratches her nose. Robin looks between her and Cupid, surely having pieces together everything by now. Steeling herself, Nicole holds eye contact with him, her gaze pleading with him to just please give in and ask her all of the questions running through his mind. She knows he has them. She can feel it.

“Who doesn’t?” He finally says.

“Totally,” Jeremy agrees. Nicole looks at him sharply, gaze tight as she realizes he’s developing a crush of his own. Shortly, Robin bids them goodbye and makes his way back to his truck. With the two of them alone, she certainly plans on calling him out.

“He’s cute,” she says.

“Yeah,” Jeremy says, smiling with his brilliant teeth and bouncing on his toes for a moment before he checks himself, “But he’s a mortal. A mortal and an elf hasn’t happened in like...ever.”

“It wouldn’t hurt to branch outside of the North Pole,” Nicole tells him.

“Is that for you or for me?” Jeremy asks.

“The dating pool back home is slim picking for the both of us,” Nicole ventures, “And besides, Cupid is the best matchmaker in town. When was the last time she pushed either of us in any direction?”

“She’s your friend,” Jeremy says.

“But you’re my friend. Probably my best friend,” Nicole says. The reindeer snort. She huffs in response as she rolls her eyes. She corrects, “My best human-like friend. She wants you just as happy as I do.”

“Maybe,” Jeremy says with a sigh. After a moment, they wander into the barn to be sure the reindeer still have access to food. Waverly has done a good job looking after them. So good, that it makes Nicole trust her with her own life. “What do you know about this Waverly?”

“Not much,” Nicole admits. She leans back against the doorframe and Jeremy does the same on the opposite side. He pulls his beanie further down his head to cover his ears. She looks down at her feet, tucking her hands into her pockets. She adds, “She has that ethereal glow I’ve only ever seen in textbooks. She doesn’t even know she has it. But she’s pretty much the most amazing person I’ve ever met. God, she just, she makes me feel normal.”

“You are normal,” Jeremy tries to convince her.

“I’m really not,” Nicole says with a heavy hearted sigh, “All through school, there was this thing about me that I couldn’t talk about. It makes me wonder if there’s...if there’s anyone out there for me.”

“You’ll find a connection,” Jeremy reassures.

“Yeah,” Nicole replies. Slowly, she pushes herself off of the door and steps back out into the sunlight. Dancer and Prancer are locked by the horns, spinning slowly in circles. She laughs, almost forgetting about the matters of her heart. “I think this place has done them some good.”


	8. Prancer

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nicole hurts Waverly's feelings and tries to make it up to her.

As the day goes on, Jeremy fills her in about the uproar in the town at the delayed return. Mostly everyone has a lot of things to say, spreading rumors but not quite knowing the truth. Some of them make Nicole laugh.

She hooks up the reindeer to the sleigh and takes them for a ride. They don’t get very high into the air, especially with Cupid missing, but she just wants to keep them travel ready. With Jeremy calling her feelings for Waverly what they are, a budding crush, she wants to be ready to get out of Purgatory the moment that they can.

Waverly returns.

Even Wynonna returns.

By that time, the reindeer are all put away. They seem tired, except for Prancer who is always full of energy. She bounces around lovingly at the sight of anyone. She’s always been that way. She stands out with her lighter coat and her energetic demeanor. Nicole has always had a soft spot for her, for the way she never tires and never gives up.

Waverly asks her and Jeremy to join them for dinner. Their friend Doc is there. Nicole recognizes him, but Jeremy looks like all of his dreams are coming true getting to meet _the_ Doc Holliday. Nicole can’t help laughing at him. He’s turned into a melting pot on two different occasions today. It’s nice getting to see him flustered.

Doc tells stories of the old west while Jeremy hangs on his every word. The rest endulge him. Well, Nicole does. Waverly seems to enjoy stories that involve her ancestor (Nicole feels bad knowing that can’t possibly be true). Wynonna doesn’t even pretend to be anything less than bored. She can’t wait for him to stop talking to tell stories of her own travels. The saliva in Nicole’s throat thickens, wishing she could just ask the questions she really wants the answers to.

For a moment, Nicole wonders if Wynonna even realizes that she knows these things. She knows that the woman skinny dipped in the Trevi Fountain. She knows that she stole a blunt in Amsterdam. She knows that she did things she will never tell anyone in Greece.

Still, she nods and laughs when Wynonna shares details she doesn’t know. She does her best not to watch Waverly the entire time but there’s a warmth blooming inside of her that she truly can’t deny. She thinks that if nothing else, at least she will leave here truly knowing what love is.

“I’m so jealous,” Waverly says suddenly, guilt spreading along her features, “You’re all so well travelled. I’ve never even left this town.”

“There’s a comfort in calling a place home,” Nicole says quickly, before anyone else can get the opportunity to bring comfort to this woman who is easily stealing her heart.

“I know,” Waverly says, voice inhibiting a sadness as she traces patterns into the tablecloth, “But I’m missing out. I’ll never see the world.”

“Never say never,” Nicole replies.

“Yeah, baby girl,” Wynonna agrees, gently rubbing Waverly’s arm, “You’ve still got time.”

“Not with this stupid curse,” Waverly huffs, “We probably won’t even make it out alive. Not with Dolls missing. Not with the way we run after these demons. They’ve defeated every single one of our ancestors.”

Nicole’s heart aches at Waverly’s words. She’s never known the details of this thing. She’s heard about it here and there, but it’s mostly just written in a book that’s been passed down for 3 generations. No one like her comes to Purgatory. No one wants to get caught in the crossfire. Everyone has been scared to bring joy to a place that’s a real risk. That’s when she realizes that Waverly is scared. She can see it in the woman’s eyes.

“Hey,” Wynonna says softly, the softest Nicole has ever seen her be. Nicole knows she can be this way with Waverly in moments, but she’s never actually bore witness to it. She still tries to give humans their privacy, at least. The emotions in her gut swirl, and she’s really glad she can only truly feel one other person in the room’s. Her own feel overwhelming right now - mixed with love and guilt and sadness. “Don’t be like that. I can’t have my rock crumbling here. I’m kind of losing it.”

“It isn’t fair,” Waverly says, almost losing her cool, “Gus tried to get me to leave, to see the world, to live my life, but she never believed you. In you. Not like I do. I know you can do this. You’re so strong. Stronger than any other Earp has ever been.”

“You are,” Wynonna replies with a smile.

They are all quiet, letting the sisters have their moment. Nicole doesn’t know how she can contribute to this. She hardly knows them. She just sees the good and the beauty and true surface of Waverly’s beautiful heart. Looking away, she decides to scoop up the plates around her and taps Jeremy on the shoulder.

“Help,” she whispers.

He jumps up and grabs a few other dirty dishes. She heads into the kitchen with Jeremy on her heels and they immediately deposit everything into the sink. She turns on the water and begins washing, not leaving room for protest.

After a few minutes of doing dishes, mostly everything clean and now settled into the drying rack, she turns her body to face Jeremy. She looks towards the doorway to be sure they’re alone. With a sigh, she drops her gaze to her shoes.

“We’re leaving tomorrow,” she says, her heart not able to take this anymore.

“Sounds good to me,” Jeremy replies, “But you’re right about these people. They need you, your hope.”

“Yeah, well,” Nicole says, shrugging, “They don’t need me. They have each other. I’m leaving this town and never coming back again.”

“Really?” Comes Waverly’s voice from across the room.

Jeremy cringes at the sound, Nicole can see it in her peripheral vision when her sharp gaze presses against Waverly’s frame from across the room. Her whole body feels weightless as she watches the glow surrounding Waverly shift and change its colors. There’s a sadness kissing the edges that wasn’t there before, not even when she had been telling the room of her deepest and darkest fears.

“I think,” Nicole starts, gulping, “I shouldn’t.”

“But I thought we were friends,” Waverly says.

“We are,” Nicole insists. She sounds stupid, she knows it. They’ve barely known each other a day and her heart had already clenched beneath this woman’s will. If she doesn’t leave her now, she will never be able to leave her again. “Just long distance friends.”

“I can’t believe I’m so stupid,” Waverly huffs, “Sure, we’ll stay in touch.”

Nicole can’t get another word out before Waverly is fleeing the room. She runs up the stairs, the sound of her feet echoing throughout. Nicole feels like she’s being stabbed in the stomach with every step that takes them further apart.

“Nice going, Haught,” she says to herself.

Jeremy has the courtesy not to really say anything else. He gives her a moment of silence as he leaves, going into the living room where Doc and Wynonna are. After steady breathing, Nicole goes to join them. Wynonna offers her a sip of whiskey directly from the bottle almost immediately. They take turns drinking from it until it’s gone, with the exception of Jeremy who doesn’t take a single drink.

They watch 3 episodes of some show Nicole’s never seen, but she can’t tell you a single thing that’s happened because her mind is stuck on Waverly being upset. She feels slightly tipsy, a feeling she hasn’t had in so long. She can’t get drunk in the North Pole. She’s only ever done it away at boarding school, surrounded by non-magic beings and living as they live. Part of her misses that.

At first, she hadn’t wanted to become Santa. She had wanted to give it all up and be a police officer, be normal. All she wants is to have normal moments. To be normal. It just isn’t in the cards for her.

The television asks her if she’s still watching. She blinks at it. Taking a quick look around, she realizes everyone else has passed out. Wynonna snores loudly, like the universe is really proving a point. Doc is tucked into the corner of the couch while Wynonna leans against him. Jeremy is asleep on the floor.

Nicole gets up from her spot on the couch and steps over Jeremy’s sleeping form. She pulls her jacket on and heads outside to hook up the reindeer. She has to be firm in this decision. She can’t linger here, give in to this idea of normal she will never have. She knows Waverly isn’t meaning to give her this hope, she’s just too good.

She hooks each of them up to the sleigh. Once they’re all done, she saddles up to Cupid just to check on her. She doesn’t seem too terribly tired from standing. She’s almost back to her normal self.

Normal.

That’s all she wants to be.

“Ok, girl,” Nicole says softly, rubbing Cupid between her eyes, “I know you’ve been in pain and you’re probably tired, but I need you to power through. I need to do this. I need to get out of here.”

Cupid snorts in protest.

“Are you not feeling up to it?” Nicole asks.

Cupid nudges her hand. Prancer snorts too. Now Dasher. They are all protesting.

“What do you mean?” Nicole asks, perplexed. They all snort again, this time in a particular tune. She furrows her brows as she gasps at them. “I don’t even know if she feels the same way about me. I can’t just go in there with a big gesture.”

Cupid gives her big, round, pleading eyes.

“Fine,” Nicole says, huffing again.

She goes back inside and remains as quiet as possible as she climbs the stairs. Her stomach rolls. She feels nervous and scared. She hasn’t felt this in forever. Maybe not since her dad died and she found herself being the keeper of Christmas joy.

She stands in front of Waverly’s door, sucking in deep breaths and expelling them out so slow that she feels like she can feel every iota of oxygen. It doesn’t help. Her nerves still swirl. She obviously upset Waverly earlier, but she needs to get out of this town. She needs to get away from Waverly, to keep herself from feeling anything more. But, of course, when Cupid gives those pleading eyes it’s hard to say no.

She knocks and waits. The seconds tick away in her head. It feels like time has stopped as she prepares herself to turn away. Perhaps Waverly has fallen asleep. Or maybe she knows who it is and is truly avoiding Nicole now.

Finally, Waverly opens the door. She looks sad, but not like she’s been crying. It makes Nicole’s heart clench in her chest. She doesn’t like the woman being sad, doesn’t feel like she can take it. Her breathing stops.

“Waverly, I am so sorry,” Nicole starts, voice small, “I never meant to hurt you.”

“It’s whatever,” Waverly replies dismissively.

Nicole’s eyebrows furrow at that. She purses her lips together and shakes her head lightly. Slowly, she extends her hand to Waverly. She says, “Come here, I want to show you something.”

She holds her breath until Waverly slips her hand into hers.


	9. Dasher

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nicole takes Waverly somewhere

Waverly’s hand feels warm in hers, like the heat of a thousand suns burning her skin and leaving an eternal mark. She can feel the heat beneath her fingertips and it sets fire to her soul, the spark inside of her thrumming like a song that’s being written. She wonders if Waverly can feel it too.

Grabbing Waverly’s jacket before they step outside, she shuts the door gently behind them so as not to wake anyone else in the house. She hands over Waverly’s jacket and lets her put it on to shield her from the cold. Nicole has noticed that Waverly gets cold easily. She wishes she could offer the woman warmth, that she could take away all of the pain and hurt the woman has ever experienced.

Almost in unison they look over at the sleigh. It’s sitting beneath the lone light in the yard. The reindeer and sleigh are all glowing enticingly like it’s calling out to them, drawing them near. After a moment of gazing, Waverly seemingly taking it in for the first time.

Nicole swallows and says, “Come.”

She presses her fingers against the small of Waverly’s back and urges her forward, guiding her to the sleigh. Waverly’s steps are small like she doesn’t want to startle the reindeer. They snort in anticipation. Especially Dasher who is revving up to go. She’s been cooped up for too many days. She usually gets in the air every other day at least.

When they reach the sleigh, Waverly keeps her hands tucked away. Nicole looks at her, watching her take in the sight before her. The silence between them hurts but she can’t stomach breaking it.

“So, you’re really leaving?” Waverly asks, voice quiet but echoing against the earth around them.

“I have to,” Nicole replies.

“Right,” Waverly says slowly.

Despite everything screaming inside of her, Nicole presses her palm against Waverly’s hip. The woman looks at her, eyes glossy in the moonlight. She doesn’t shy away, however, just lets Nicole’s hand stay pressed against her like she’s steadying her.

“I want to take you somewhere,” Nicole announces.

“Where?” Waverly asks, confused.

“Anywhere,” Nicole says. She helps Waverly up into the sleigh before sliding in beside her. Their thighs touch. Nicole’s heart stills in her chest. She takes the reins in her hands and gives them a tug. As the sleigh moves slightly, she feels Waverly lean closer into her side. “Go slow, guys. We have a first timer.”

Nicole tugs even harder and the sleigh tilts as it lifts completely off of the ground. Nicole takes a glance at Waverly to gauge her reaction. So far, she’s fine but Nicole doesn’t think it’s hit her yet that she’s no longer safe and sound on the ground.

“I can show you the world,” Nicole hums, “All you have to do is tell me where.”

“I don’t know,” Waverly admits, “There’s so many places.”

Nicole waits for some clarification on where to go, but she takes one look at the stars and points them towards the west coast when there isn’t an answer. Once they’re in the air, she takes a quick glance at Waverly and sees she’s in shock, brain trying to digest what she’s seeing. After saying she’s never been out of Purgatory earlier, Nicole isn’t surprised. She knew there would be some difficulty, especially as they started to reach some higher altitudes.

“You ok?” Nicole asks.

Waverly’s thigh presses against hers before she practically clasps into Nicole’s arm, like she’s afraid with one sharp turn she will fall out. It makes sense. There isn’t really a handle bar, no seatbelt, no doors and no real form of safety. Nicole hasn’t thought about that. She’s ridden in the sleigh her entire life.

“It just isn’t what I expected,” Waverly admits. Nicole frowns. The woman beside her most sense some kind of reaction, whether it be her body tensing or her face falling. Waverly’s hand finds hers and for the first time Nicole thinks that maybe this connection between them isn’t one sided. “Not in a bad way. I guess I just didn’t know what to expect.”

“It’s an adjustment,” Nicole replies.

“It’s beautiful up here,” Waverly replies.

Her grasp loosens over time as she gets more comfortable at these heights. They fly in silence for awhile, the reindeer snorting at each other every now and then but otherwise trying to make this a flight neither of them would ever forget. They can be unruly at times. It’s entertaining to Nicole, but she thinks it could scare Waverly.

After nearly two hours in the air, Nicole instructs the sleigh to be lowered. The landing as gentle as the landing rails buries into the sand. The reindeer stomp randomly, trying to rid their hooves of sand before they finally succumb to it. Waverly slowly realizes that they’ve landed, that the view before them is a reflection of the moon off of a body of water that collided with the horizon.

“Is this ok?” Nicole finally asks, voice hoarse from silence.

“It sounds like the inside of a sea shell,” Waverly replies, mesmerized.

Nicole grins and nods, sliding her jacket off in the much warmer climate and discarding it into the seat. She steps out of the sleigh and offers her hand for Waverly to take. It seems to register on Waverly’s face in slow motion what’s going on.

“Careful,” Nicole says, “The sand is a little uneven.”

Waverly slips her hand into Nicole’s but thread’s their fingers tightly together before she steps down. Nicole has to brace her at the hip. She fully expects their hands to part when Waverly gets used to it, but she doesn’t let go. They walk in silence, listening to the crash of the waves against the beach and taking in the pleasant view before them.

“Where are we?” Waverly finally asks.

Nicole glances behind them and they’ve probably walked 30 feet, but time has either slowed or sped up because nothing feels the same. The air around her feels thicker somehow. Not like something bad is going to happen but like the universe is moving faster than she can imagine. And she knows Miss Universe. She isn’t keen on doing anything quickly.

“California,” Nicole answers.

“The sand is so white,” Waverly marvels. It’s only brightened beneath the moonlight so it isn’t that clear, but she’s right. It’s the whitest beach in all of California. Nicole watches Waverly carefully, the way she’s taking in the sights. Finally, she crouches down and scoops up a handful. “It’s the most amazing thing I’ve ever seen.”

Nicole stares in wonder. She’s sure that if anyone saw her that she would look like an idiot. Hell, she _is_ an idiot for allowing herself to indulge in the possibility of what could be with this woman. As Waverly stands slowly, the sand falling out of her hand between her spread fingers, Nicole takes in a deep breath through her nose. It smells like honey and papaya as it floods her brain cells, rendering her immovable as the smell of Waverly engraves deep into the crevices of her brain.

Her eyes must have drifted closed with Waverly standing so close to her that she can feel the hair catching in the breeze brush along her chin. She tucks her bottom lip between her teeth and let’s herself appreciate the moment, the tug on her heart that tells her to just give in. When she opens her eyes, a pair of dark eyes are glowing beneath the moonlight’s reflection while staring at her. She swallows, realizing how stupid she is.

“Did you just smell me?” Waverly asks softly.

Her mouth opens and closes before she pushes her hands to her own hips, bracing herself for the fall. She sucks in another deep breath, senses completely overwhelmed immediately. She says, “Guilty.”

Waverly’s eyes stay trained on her, watching her as she squirms beneath the soft gaze. She’s afraid to move. She can’t really. Not even if she tried. Suddenly, the space between them closes and she feels the tip of Waverly’s nose tech against her throat as she inhales deeply. It’s a dramatic display that rocks Nicole to her core. She looks down her nose at the woman, slowly tilting her chin downward and chasing Waverly’s movement as she pulls away.

“Vanilla dipped donuts,” Waverly murmurs, slight embarrassment kissing her cheeks, “They’re my favorite.”

“What was that?” Nicole asks, wondering if her ears have betrayed her.

“Nothing,” Waverly insists. Still, the feeling lingers deep in the pits of Nicole’s stomach. When Waverly turns away, she finds herself reaching out to stop her as her hands clasp at the woman’s waist and she tugs her closer. Their bodies touch lightly and Nicole’s knee slots between Waverly’s thighs. “You’re leaving.”

“I have to,” Nicole says.

“Why?” Waverly volleys back.

“You know why,” Nicole replies.

“Well, then,” Waverly says, huffing now as she circles Nicole’s wrists with her hands, “You’re leaving.”

Nicole deflates as her hands are peeled away from Waverly’s waist, the distance between them growing. It hurts, but not because it feels like rejection. It hurts because she can see the pain in Waverly’s eyes. Nicole grunts at this, twisting her hands so she can wrap her fingers around Waverly’s forearms and keep her from going anywhere.

“Stop,” Nicole pleads, “Look at me. Please. Look into my eyes and tell me you can’t see it.”

Waverly stops then, looking at Nicole’s eyes. It’s dark but she’s pretty sure that Waverly can see deep into her soul, feel everything that Nicole has ever felt. Feeling vulnerable and exposed, she steps back to put space between them.

“God, this is so fucking hard,” Nicole growls. Her palms slide with her movements until their fingertips brush. Suddenly, they’re not touching anymore. Nicole’s heart drops into her stomach. “Do you think I don’t want to stay? That I don’t feel something about that place? About you?”

“I don’t know,” Waverly says.

“I feel normal. With you I feel normal,” Nicole admits, voice soft.

Waverly stares for a long moment before Nicole watches with wide eyes as the woman closes the distance between them. Nicole is scared to move, the sand beneath her feet making her knees feel weak. The air rushes out of her lungs as her mouth parts in want, in anticipation, and she only feels real again when Waverly’s soft lips touch hers. They feel like velvet and silk at the same time, warm and soft and speaking directly to her soul like they’re meant to be together. If this woman isn’t for Nicole, then she truly doesn’t know who is.

The kiss is deep and long, sucking the air from her lungs as Waverly grasps her collar. Nicole can’t help pushing her hands around Waverly’s waist, pressing her fingers hard against the small of her back until she feels her body flush against Nicole’s front. They fit together easily, like Sunday morning.

The reindeer snort and whinny behind her, shouting excitement into the night.

Nicole pulls back at the sound of voices in the distance, laughter echoing against the water. Her eyes skirt around them but she can’t see anything, so she grabs Waverly by the hand and pulls her towards the sleigh. They get in quickly and as soon as Nicole grabs the reins they are in the air.

She points them back towards Purgatory. She knows she has to go home, that she can’t stay in that town forever. The reindeer need their home. The elves at the North Pole need her. She can’t just abandon ship like that. And Waverly has so much going on that they certainly couldn’t make this work.

On the flight back to Purgatory, she feels her heartbreaking equipped with the knowledge that she’ll have to say goodbye to the only woman she could ever truly love.


	10. Rudolph

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nicole leaves

The return to Purgatory feels heavy hearted, like a goodbye forever and not a see each other later. It’s hard. It’s the middle of the night. Now that she knows Waverly too is feeling something, it makes it even harder. Nicole climbs out of the sleigh first before helping Waverly down. Their hands fit together nicely.

She can’t quite let go of the woman’s hand. Thinking about the flight back, the way Waverly felt more comfortable, doesn’t help. Waverly looks like she belongs in this place, in Nicole’s world. She clutches tighter, pulling Waverly closer until she can see into her eyes.

“You know why I can’t stay, right?” Nicole whispers. Waverly looks up, stunned and sad. Everything inside of Nicole screams to just tell her just how deep she feels for her. Waverly just really got a hold of her and she can’t fight it. With a shake of her head, Waverly looks away. “Because when no one has the true spirit of Christmas anymore, the magic runs out. I don’t belong here.”

“I’m here,” Waverly reasons.

“You’re here. I’m there,” Nicole replies, “The North Pole needs me. I need it. It’s the way things are. The way they’ve always been.”

“I know,” Waverly hums, fingers wrapping around Nicole’s shirt, “Or I get it, at least.”

“I’m sorry,” Nicole huffs.

“Don’t be sorry,” Waverly says, hands falling away from her shirt and trickling down to her stomach, “This is a lot for me anyway. I’ve never...done this before.”

Nicole’s heart ether stops beating or drops to the bottom of her stomach. She isn’t entirely sure which. All she knows is that she feels queasy and like the world is spinning. Leaning heavily against Waverly’s hand, she lets her eyes close as she tries to remember this moment.

She tries to think of something that could sway either of them, but it’s just the cards they’ve been dealt. There’s no way she could meet and fall in love with a woman over the course of just a few days. There certainly isn’t any way the woman could fall in love with her that quickly in return. Especially considering she’s a magical being that most people don’t even believe exists.

“I thought you had a boyfriend,” Nicole finally says, trying to take the tension off.

“Yeah, well, it isn’t quite the same thing, is it?” Waverly asks. She smiles sadly. It makes Nicole hurt from the inside out. She can feel the pain on her skin. Perhaps it’s Waverly’s terrified energy that she’s giving off; it makes Nicole want to tell her not to be scared of her. “How did you know?”

“All of our fears of being who we are, of discovering ourselves, are just social constructs,” Nicole replies, “I come from a world where people aren’t judged for anything other than how they treat others. Now, when I was in boarding school, totally different story. It was all abandoned janitors closets and secrecy pacts. Kinda sucked.”

“I’m sorry,” Waverly says, empathy pouring out of her, “That isn’t fair to you.”

“Humans still have a long way to go,” Nicole replies. She smiles sadly and lifts her hand to Waverly’s face, stroked her cheek with the back of her hand. Thumb sweeping over Waverly’s cheekbone, Nicole sends everything good inside of her in the woman’s direction. Quickly, she turns her palm over and presses it against Waverly’s cheek. “You, Waverly Earp, are extraordinary. I would hate if for any reason you felt like you just couldn’t be you. Whatever capacity that may be.”

“Maybe I don’t even know who I am anymore,” Waverly admits.

“You’ll figure it out,” Nicole says, “You’re incredibly smart. I believe in you.”

“And I believe in you,” Waverly says with a soft smile.

Begrudgingly, they part ways and go inside.

Nicole knows that it’s for the best, but that doesn’t make it any easier. There’s a lot that comes with being Santa. In a perfect world, they could date casually and get to know each other. See where things go. Maybe they’d fall deeply in love. Maybe they wouldn’t. All she knows is that Waverly Earp is something special and she’s pretty sure this woman is meant to be a big deal in her life.

She lets Jeremy rest for an hour more before she wakes him up. It’s time for them to leave. She can’t linger any longer without telling herself to stay just to see how things work out between them. Once they’re safely tucked into the sleigh, they take off into the night sky. Jeremy, surprisingly, doesn’t say anything.

“Rudolph, guide us home,” Nicole says.

His nose glows bright. It’s a rarity to have a reindeer with a glowing nose. Any reindeer with that specialty is automatically the Rudolph for Santa. They don’t even have a single other nose glowing reindeer in the pack. Even then, he’s a good boy. Maybe even the best boy she has.

They’re in the air for about an hour before Jeremy even ventures to speak. Nicole holds her breath in anticipation. He looks sleepy and a little behind in the thought process which is surprising considering he’s always on. Sometimes she can’t even keep up with him.

“Are you ok?” He asks.

“Fine,” Nicole replies. After a few moments of heavily silence, she shrugs. She tries not to think about leaving Waverly behind and not even really giving her a proper goodbye. If this was hard, she would hate to see what it might be like if they get to know each other better. Probably best that they never see each other again. “I just can’t help feeling like it really could have been something.”

“You were right, you know,” Jeremy says, “Sometimes we find love in unexpected places.”

“I wouldn’t say love,” Nicole lightly protests.

She slides her gaze over and looks Jeremy in the eye. He huffs and maintains a stern contact. He says, “I said what I said.”

“Right on the cusp of it maybe,” Nicole finally admits. More to herself than Jeremy. If she gave it one more day she would probably be there.

“Sometimes home isn’t a place,” Jeremy says, “Sometimes it’s a person.”

“You sound really wise for someone who’s never been in a relationship,” Nicole says, maybe a little salty. Cupid snorts and Nicole can practically hear her agreeing with Jeremy. The girl looks at Nicole over her shoulder, undoubtedly feeling better. Nicole would guess she’s healed a little faster than expected thanks to Christmas magic. It almost works like a genie. Just can’t make anybody fall in love. “Guys, stop. It won’t work.”

“It might,” Jeremy says.

“It won’t,” Nicole stresses even harder.

“You never know until you try,” Jeremy says.

Cupid snorts. Then they all snort. Nicole sighs.

“She’s really pretty,” Nicole says, succumbing to the idea a little, “And she’s super sweet and really amazing and what the hell am I doing?”

“Turn it around,” Jeremy cheers.

“We have to go back,” Nicole says, looking at him wide eyed. It’s like a bus has ran over her and she can think clearly for the first time. She tugs on the reins and points the sleigh back towards Purgatory. “Dasher, make it quick.”

Jeremy and Cupid both look smug. One thing is for sure, Cupid has never been wrong about this sort of thing. In the silence, Nicole allows herself to think of all of the ways they can make this work. She could stay in Purgatory. Or maybe Waverly could come to the North Pole. Maybe they can do long distance. Maybe they can find a way to see each other again before Christmas next year.

Dasher moves them faster than ever before.

Nicole is impressed.

“So, what are you going to say?” Jeremy asks finally.

Nicole shrugs and says, “I’ll figure it out when I see her.”

They arrive just after daybreak. The air feels warm and inviting but it’s quiet, thick in want of being disturbed. The birds aren’t even awake yet. Nicole really doesn’t want to startle anyone.

Sneaking back into the homestead, she tiptoes her way up the stairs to Waverly’s bedroom. The door is closed. Nicole debates her entrance, the best way for her to reveal her heart to Waverly. Maybe the woman’s belief in her can always bring her back.

Entering the bedroom, she tries to be careful not to look at anything other than Waverly. Which truly isn’t too difficult considering even while sleeping she’s the most beautiful thing Nicole has ever seen. With a deep breath, she closes the door softly behind her and makes her way across the room. Even asleep Waverly leaves a generous amount of room on her bed, but definitely appears to wrap herself up in as much blanket as possible.

Nicole lowers herself to the side of Waverly’s bed, settling her weight onto her knees. After staring at Waverly’s rising and falling chest, taking in the sight of getting to see the woman sleep in real time, she lifts a shaky hand and brushes her finger across Waverly’s forehead to wipe the hair off of her forehead. Waverly blinks slowly, shifting beneath the blankets, and looks at Nicole with tired eyes.

“Are you leaving?” She asks, voice hoarse with sleep.

“I already did,” Nicole admits, looking down as she pulls her hand back. Waverly catches it as she sits up, rubbing her eyes with her other hand. When Nicole looks back up at Waverly, she sees confusion on her face and she can’t tell exactly why. “I came back.”

“You came back?” Waverly repeats.

“I realized that...” she trails off, her nerves constricting her throat. She swallows and searches Waverly’s eyes for safety. She needs to know that if she’s vulnerable she won’t get hurt. The sunlight peaking in through the blinds highlights Waverly’s features and Nicole feels warm and in love. She sighs and says, “Even though I need the North Pole and the North Pole needs me, I also need you.”

“What?” Waverly says slowly, blinking wildly.

“Do you believe in love at first sight?” Nicole asks instead of explaining.

“Maybe,” Waverly replies slowly.

“Yeah, me neither,” Nicole says, “At least I didn’t. If you had asked me a week ago, I would have said no. Well, maybe not if _you_ asked me, but if someone else asked me.”

“Nicole,” Waverly interjects, “The point.”

“The point is that I may not have a gift good enough for you for Christmas, but I can offer you the best gift I could ever give anyone,” Nicole says. Her heart is beating in her throat. If she were to die right now it would probably be the saddest thing they’ve ever seen at heaven’s gates. Or wherever she goes after she dies. Hopefully she gets repurposed as a cat. She loves cats. “I love you, Waverly, and I don’t want to leave you.”

“But you have to,” Waverly says.

“I have to,” Nicole echoes, “And all I can do is hope beyond all hope that the spirit of Christmas will bring me back to you.”

“Can you stay?” Waverly asks, “For just a little while, stay with me?”

“I’d love that,” Nicole replies.

Waverly tugs her hand towards the center of the bed. Nicole pushes to her feet, knees aching from kneeling for so long. Once she’s standing, she kicks off her shoes and peels her jacket off. They make a pile on the floor. The bed creaks softly as she climbs into the bed, her weight making the mattress dip. The sheets and blankets rustle as she slips between them, laying down beside Waverly. Her body is warm as she turns to face Nicole, cheek resting on her chest and hand sliding over her stomach. Waverly curls into her easily and Nicole can’t help smiling.

Finally, everything feels right.


	11. North Pole

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A little time jump to the following year

_342 days later..._

A light sensation against her belly awakens her slowly and with just a few blinks she figures out that short fingernails are scratching at her skin. She sighs in content, heart beating mightily as the rest of her wakes up. Somewhere inside of her, she finds the strength to roll onto her side and face the tiny body beside her. With a few quick blinks, she realizes that Waverly is awake and lulling Nicole to join her.

“Why are you awake?” Nicole murmurs softly.

Waverly arches her body forward, hips jutting towards Nicole’s as her fingers slip beneath Nicole’s loose t-shirt and starts drawing lazy shapes against her skin. Her body warms beneath Waverly’s touch, blood rushing to the surface with each featherlight sweep of her fingers. Waverly tilts her chin up and plants a gently kiss against the corner of Nicole’s mouth.

“Because I can’t sleep,” Waverly says in a pouty voice, “Too sad about you leaving today.”

The last nearly a year has been a whirlwind of emotions. They’ve only gotten confirmation that what Nicole believed, and hadn’t shared with Waverly, regarding the woman’s lineage is true. Her girlfriend’s absent mother has returned from, well, the psychiatric ward. Not to mention, Waverly’s own personal demon showed her face and flaunted her baking skills. Wynonna recovered, but mostly because she had to, only to relapse again in the slowest form upon giving up her daughter. Their mother’s return has brought some joy around the house and the spirit of Christmas is in full swing with the holiday just weeks away. Nicole can feel it in her gut.

Their relationship hasn’t been easy. One thing that has been present through and through is love, which is why they always make it work. With the distance and living on different planes of existence, they wouldn’t be together right now if not for the magic between them. Even then, being away from the woman who stole her heart was much harder than anything else that Nicole’s ever done. She would do anything to make them work, anything that Waverly asked.

“Baby,” Nicole murmurs, dropping a hand to Waverly’s hip and drawing her as close as physically possible, “I hate being away from you.”

“I’m gonna miss you,” Waverly says.

Nicole bends at her waist, leaning down to kiss Waverly properly. Her tongue sweeps at Waverly’s bottom lip and her girlfriend answers it by deepening the kiss, fingernails digging in to the skin of her back near her waistline slowly. It tickles and hurts at the same time, guiding her forward until her thigh slips between Waverly’s and she’s tugging the smaller woman on top of her. The weight feels nice, thighs pressed against her hipbones and Waverly’s knees boxing her in.

When Waverly pulls away for oxygen, Nicole watches her every move. It still isn’t easy to travel back and forth. She’s been in Purgatory for 2 weeks and it’s already time for her to return with Christmas fast approaching. Now is not the time for her to skip out on returning to the North Pole.

“You know,” Nicole starts, “You could always come with me.”

“I shouldn’t,” Waverly says. She stretches out on Nicole like a cat, their fronts pressed together and her weight holding her down. Securing her arms around Waverly’s waist, she tries not to squirm when her girlfriend nuzzles into her neck with a ticklish brush of her nose. “I’m sorry. I know I was going to go back with you this time, but then my mom showed up.”

“You can come for just a few days,” Nicole says reasonably, “I’ll bring you back.”

“Are you sure?” Waverly asks.

“Nothing would make it feel more like Christmas than having you there with me,” Nicole replies.

After spending a little bit more time in bed, they finally get up for the day. Nicole showers first. While she does, Waverly packs an over abundance of clothing that sends entirely the wrong message about how much time she will spending away. They’d agreed this would be like a long weekend, 4 days. Five at the most.

Waverly’s family had known Nicole was departing today, but the news of Waverly going as well seems to blindside them. At least for a second. They both quickly recover and offer their support.

What Nicole doesn’t admit is that she’s buzzing with excitement. Every time Waverly was about to go to the North Pole with her something came up. Mostly it was Wynonna’s weird pregnancy that kept Waverly nearby, quickly followed by the raw emotion of sending Alice away to protect the child. Nicole has done her best to keep the disappointment at bay every time, but now she’s excited to show Waverly her childhood home. So close to Christmas is going to make it so much more exciting.

The flight is going to take a little longer without the usual crew. Nicole has used the last year to get some practice in with the reindeer who don’t get picked to guide Santa’s sleigh for Christmas. It’s brought more joy throughout the reindeer. To no one’s surprise either they all have fallen in love with Waverly rather quickly any time Nicole brings them to Purgatory.

This time it’s been 4 of the others, Roger and George and Willow and Cherry. They’re fast but not even close to Dasher’s speed. They’re sweet but don’t hold a candle to Cupid. They’re rowdy and often wander off course of Nicole isn’t paying attention.

They load up into the sleigh and take off towards the North Pole. They’ve had a lot of conversations about what this would be like when Waverly came to see it. Nicole’s nerves are going a million miles an hour, fear bubbling up at what Waverly is bound to see. There’s pictures of Nicole’s family hanging up everywhere around the house, ones she hasn’t taken down since her parents passed. She hasn’t really touched anything, mostly feeling like a visitor than anything else. She supposed that now she kind of is, considering she spends more time in Purgatory with Waverly. But, still, they haven’t talked about Nicole’s family much and she’s sure that it’s going to incite questions, ones that Nicole doesn’t necessarily want to answer.

Waverly feels less nervous about flying now. Not that they’ve actually flown a lot. Usually, it’s just a little exercise for the reindeer she brings to Purgatory with her. This is the longest flight Waverly will be on.

When they cross over the realm’s borders the air shifts. It’s crispy and light, smells like cookies and the sunlight changes to a glow much like Christmas lights. It’s night at the North Pole almost always now, the way the earth orbits the sun never allowing a natural light. It can be depressing, which is why the elves embrace decorating all year around. It’s always Christmas at the North Pole, and Nicole can easily get tired of it.

The landing is a little rough, and as soon as the sleigh touches the ground they are being surrounded by elves. Waverly’s reputation precedes her but no one other than Jeremy has ever met her before. They keep a close watch on her, but don’t say anything. Not in front of their faces anyway.

“Welcome to the North Pole,” Nicole says, gesturing around her.

Waverly’s eyes drink in the joyous display. Every second Nicole spends with her she just falls deeper in love. Her hands easily find Waverly’s waist as she looks around, taking it the lights and joy around them.

“It’s beautiful here,” Waverly murmurs, “Is it always like this?”

“Always,” Nicole says, letting her go and reaching for her hand, “And trust me. It isn’t as great as it seems right now.”

Waverly doesn’t acknowledge her. She uses Nicole’s hand to balance her, stretching far to take in more of the town. The snow crunches beneath their feet and the light show reflects off of the dusty flakes. It never snows but there’s always snow. It isn’t too warm but it isn’t too cold. It encompasses Christmas but it feels like the other seasons don’t exist. It’s almost depressing sometimes.

“Do you want the tour or do you want to see where I live?” Nicole asks.

This gets Waverly’s attention. She looks over at Nicole, lips curling upwards mischievously, and she lowers her chin. Nicole nearly melts at Waverly looking up at her through her lashes like she’s up to no good. Nicole knows what that look means.

“You live with me, silly,” Waverly murmurs, stepping into Nicole’s space.

She feels Waverly’s hand slip beneath the lapel of her jacket and her fingers spread out against her ribcage. Swallowing, Nicole looks down her nose at Waverly and can’t help grinning. She says, “If we go back to my house we will be totally and completely alone.”

“That one,” Waverly replies without hesitation, “Let’s do that.”

Nicole feels eager as she tightens her hand around Waverly’s. She tries to make the journey a leisurely stroll, but she’s unable to hide her excitement. Their matching pace is quick even though Waverly is a half step behind her the entire way. Her house isn’t very far from the rather large barn that houses most of the reindeer.

When they reach her house, Nicole pushes the door open without even unlocking it. She casts a glances at Waverly over her shoulder before guiding her through the threshold. Nicole says, “Welcome to my home.”

“It’s lovely,” Waverly says without even really looking.

Nicole grins and says, “You didn’t even look at it.”

“I was looking at you and you’re lovely,” Waverly replies. Nicole’s grin widens as she leans down and kisses Waverly fiercely. She easily presses Waverly against the door, body slotting against hers. The feeling of Waverly’s hands sliding around her waist tickles her enough to pull back. “Show me around.”

Chuckling, she pulls away and drags Waverly with her. She gives her a tour around the house. Waverly’s eyes linger on pictures of her parents, them as a family, and Nicole can see she has questions that she isn’t asking. Even then, she likes showing Waverly the house she grew up in. It takes them to a new level of their relationship, like she’s letting Waverly into her world.

“You fit,” Nicole says suddenly.

“Huh?” Waverly asks.

Nicole catches her by the hips and pulls her close, placing a kiss against Waverly’s jaw. Waverly sighs in contentment, grasping Nicole’s shirt in her hands. She holds Waverly close for a few moments before she explains.

She says, “I was worried that you would hate it here, that you wouldn’t fit, but you do. It’s kind of perfect. You are perfect.”

“So does that make me like...Mrs. Claus?” Waverly says.

“Maybe,” Nicole says, breathless. The idea takes her breath away. She knows it’s a lot to ask of any woman. Marriage is one thing, the title of wife, but a title like that is something else. Swallowing, she peppers Waverly’s face with soft kisses before stopping at her ear. “One day. If that’s something you want.”

“This has been a pretty great year,” Waverly replies.

They kiss slowly. Their tongues brush together, a familiar move as their kiss deepens. It doesn’t take long for Waverly to start pushing at her clothes, peeling them off and dropping them to the floor. Nicole leads them to her bedroom and presses Waverly to the mattress.

After a few hours of being uninterrupted, they get up and clean up. Jeremy is coming around for dinner. Waverly hasn’t seen him in such a long time but they do exchange texts frequently. Nicole is happy to see Waverly so happy, that bright smile warming her to her core.

Perhaps one day, she might actually want to become Mrs. Claus.

But that’s a future discussion to have.

Today, she just lives in happiness, showing Waverly the North Pole and basking in her joy.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you got joining me on this journey. I went ahead and threw 2 updates up so people can read the rest of the fic. I appreciate all of the encouragement I received.


End file.
